Dagger of Silver, Heart of Gold
by HecatetheDarkWitch
Summary: "As for you, little princess, you will pay for helping the enemy," she spat, drawing her wand. The witch's ruthless assassin, the Silver Dagger, isn't at all what they expected. Behind the fearsome title is a girl. This is her story. Peter/OC
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: This disclaimer applies to the whole story. I do not own Narnia and probably never will.

Author's note: Please check out my profile, there are many pics which apply to this story. And please review.

Introduction

If there is one thing in my life I hated, it was my mother. She was power-hungry, ruthless and a lot of other things too. The word I – and every other creature in Narnia – would most often use to describe her was evil. A simple word yet it covered most parts of her nature and in all my years living in her palace I had never found a better one. She would kill without pity, turn creatures into stone and send the whole country into an endless winter and yet neither her magic nor her weaponry skills were what I would describe as the most dangerous part of her. She had a way of luring people in, of making them believe she was the kindest, most loving person ever and could fulfill all of their dearest wishes. In fact, I had once fallen under my mother's spell. For years, all I ever talked about was how I wished to be a kind, generous, fair ruler like her. It took years for me to see the person behind my mother's disguise, for me to realize what she really was underneath: Jadis, the White Witch, false queen of Narnia. It was then that I vowed I would never bow to her will, not fully anyway. I would do appear to do her bidding, to submit to her will and be the daughter and heiress she had always longed for but underneath, I would always be fighting, letting any poor creatures she asked me to chase down escape and fake their death, spying and gathering any information I could for the time when their could be a full uprising against her. One day, I told myself, I would rise against her openly, when the Four from the prophecy arrived.

The Witch had trained me personally in magic as soon as I showed any talent. I learned the use of magic in combat, daily life and the Ancient Magic, its strange language and the way to perform every kind of ritual and spell imaginable. I learned about the Deep magic too, the magic that had been around since the beginning of times, which defined the rules of magic as well as the most sacred laws of Narnia.

I was also trained in sword fighting. I learned to use a double-sided blade. It was slightly curved with thin incredibly thin, sharp blades that were connected by a black leather grip where I could hold it in order to twirl it around in a deadly dance. I could also break it into at the grip use it as two separate swords (pic on profile).

By the time I was sixteen I could use magic to do anything. I could manipulate the elements: fire, water, earth, air, light and darkness and could manipulate a blade expertly. It was then that it was decided that I was ready. Jadis had used an ancient ritual to make herself immortal a long time ago, sealing it with the taste of the apple of eternal life. It was this ritual that she forced upon me. I have not aged since.

Now, 71 years after that day, when I should be 87, I am still the as I was then: curly, dark blonde hair which stretches down to the middle of my back and which I usually wear half up, half down, ice blue eyes, same incredibly pale skin. I am unusually tall, like my mother, because of my giant blood(pics on profile). I always wear white, a symbol of my resistance against my mother, small and yet there all the same. White is purity and innocence, the very opposite of my mother. To her, though, it is my desire to be like her, to seem like a snow queen, a true heir to her. Let her believe what she will, I had long since stopped caring what she thought.

Many people knew me by a different identity then my true one. When she had started sending me out to do her dirty work, she had made sure to spread terrible rumors of her assassin, the Silver Dagger. Though I had never killed anyone, the Silver Dagger, the Queen's assassin, a fearless, merciless killer is feared almost as much as the Witch herself.

I had long wondered what would happen if I did not have that fearsome name to worry about, if I was known as Rayna instead of the Silver Dagger. Would anybody know about the lonely girl who spent her time in her glacial room in the Queen's palace that was filled with jewels and rich gowns that she did not want? Probably not, I had decided.

I had however made a few conquests over my mother, small as they were. I was able to save an ice dragon, Stormracer, from torture at the hands of the wolves. The dragon had become my dearest friend from that moment on. In fact, he was my only friend. We spent as much time as possible together and told each other everything. We even went together on missions for my mother, I riding on his back and flying where I wanted to go. He was a gigantic, white, feathered creature, with the biggest wingspan I had seen in any creature. He had a serpent-like tail with a few long feathers at its base. His neck was long and incredibly thick, ending in a feathered head. His eyes were white, underneath each eye was a strange swirling white design and his jaws were gigantic with perfectly white, long sharp fangs (pic on profile).

It has been a hundred years since the Witch took over Narnia, since the prophecy was made which predicted her downfall when the news of the humans arrived. I knew when I heard that the time of the Witch was drawing to a close that I would make sure that when the battle came she would fall.

I am Rayna, daughter of the White Witch, and this is my story.


	2. Part 1: The Fall of the Witch

Author's Note: This part of the story is based on the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and not on C.S. Lewis's original book.

**Part 1: The Fall of the Witch**

Chapter 1: Arrival of the Four

I was supposed to be scouting around the forest for news of Edmund, the Son of Adam my mother had met in the woods the other day, as well as his brother and sisters. Of course, that's exactly what I wanted to do, but I was definitely not going to report them to my mother. I intended to make sure they were all safe before reporting to Jadis that I had found nothing. By the time she realized the Four were in Narnia they would at least have had a chance to get to the rest of the Narnians and gather an army. I would probably get punished for not doing my duty to my Queen properly but I didn't care. Besides, my punishments were never as harsh as any the Witch gave to her subjects or members of her army.

I stood in the snowy woods around lantern waist, my white dress blending in perfectly with the snow. The dress was simple, sleeveless and floor length with a small train. Over it, I wore a fur wrap: a wide band of rabbit fur which wrapped around my upper arms and chest and laced up in the back (dress on profile). Under the dress I wore my favorite boots, white high-heeled boots which reached almost up to my knees and laced up (pic on profile).

Thankfully, I had found the entrance into this world through which the humans had come to Narnia. I had been watching that spot for the last few hours, waiting for something to happen and was getting bored. Absentmindedly, I fiddled with the pendant at my neck. It was the only gift my mother had ever given me which I would never part with. When she had given it to me, it had been merely a simple pendant made of an ice crystal stepped on by a unicorn so that it would never melt and in silver setting which looked like frost (pic on profile). I had woven spells around it to protect me from any magic shot in my direction. A rustle in the trees made me look up from the crystal in my hand.

Suddenly, four humans came bursting out of the pine trees and into the snow. Quickly, I used my power over darkness to make myself invisible. If anybody looked over at me they wouldn't see me, perhaps a small shadow if they looked carefully enough but nothing more. Once I knew myself safe from discovery I looked back over at the humans: two girls, the older one dark haired and blue-eyed and the smaller with short brown hair and brown eyes and two boys, one blond and blue-eyed and the other, younger one dark-haired and with brown eyes.

"Impossible!" the eldest girl exclaimed, amazed.

The little girl had a self-satisfied smile on her lips as she faced her sister, "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just your imagination."

"I don't suppose saying sorry would quite cover it," the blond boy looked a little ashamed.

"No," the girl was definitely smirking now, "it wouldn't."

There were a few seconds of awkward silence. It was broken by the thud of a snowball hitting blondie in the face. The girl had thrown it.

"But that might!" she laughed.

Instantly, the boy picked up some snow, throwing it into the girl's face. Suddenly it was an all-out war, snow flying in all different directions. The only one not laughing or covered in snow was the youngest boy. This must be the one my mother had met, Edmund, I realized.

He was gazing at the two mountains in the distance, the ones between which Mother's palace was located. _Oh no_, I thought, _He wouldn't try to go there. Would he? _ He had eaten some of my mother's magical food, I realized. It would be hard for him to think of anything else until he sought out the White Queen. I would have to watch him carefully to make sure he didn't get separated from his siblings or worse yet try to bring them to the Witch.

A snowball hit Edmund in the arm, causing him to snap his head back towards his siblings with a loud, "Ow! Stop it!"

"You little liar," his big brother scolded him.

Edmund defended himself, "You didn't believe her either!"

"Apologize to Lucy," he ordered. "Lucy" must be the younger girl's name, I thought. "Say you're sorry!"

"Alright!" Edmund gave in, "I'm sorry!"

"That's alright, some little children don't know when to stop pretending," Lucy was smirking again.

Edmund made a face, "Very funny."

"Maybe we should go back," the other girl suggested.

"Shouldn't we at least take a look around?" Edmund was looking at the two hills again.

The eldest looked towards Lucy. "I think Lucy should decide."

"I'd like you all to meet Mr. Tumnus" she said, grinning.

"Well Mr. Tumnus it is!"

The children would be disappointed. I had been ordered to bring the faun to my mother just the day before, along with Storm and the wolves. I had hated to do it, but I knew there was no thwarting my mother this time. I had given Tumnus a warning though, making as much noise as possible to let him know we were coming. I had a suspicion that he had given a message to his friends the Beavers before we had captured him. Hopefully, one of them would be waiting for the children at the faun's house. I would have to follow them until then, to make sure that they were safe. The entire future of Narnia rested on their shoulders.

The blonde boy ducked back into the pine trees hiding the entrance to their world.

"We can't go hiking in the snow dressed like this," I was already starting to dislike the eldest girl.

"No," the boy reappeared carrying an armful of big fur coats. "But I'm sure the professor wouldn't mind us borrowing these. Anyway, if you think about it _logically_, we're not even taking them out of the wardrobe." He handed Edmund a big grey, fluffy coat.

"But that's a girl's coat!"

"I know."

Once they were all suited up, they began treading through the woods. I followed, calling on air to lift my still invisible self a few inches off the ground so that I would leave no footprints when I walked.

They laughed, talked and glanced in amazement at the scenery around them. Edmund was the only one who did not appear happy, walking forward with a sullen expression on his face. Lucy was telling them all about Mr. Tumnus and how nice he was as they rounded the corner that would take them into full view of Tumnus's cave.

Lucy froze, her face falling as she spotted the ruined door which should have been blocking the entrance to the cave. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"Lu?" Blondie sounded concerned.

Suddenly Lucy gasped and raced forward towards the door.

"LUCY!" Blondie raced after her, quickly followed by the two others.

I lost sight of them as they entered the house. A few anxious minutes followed and I debated internally on whether or not I should follow them inside. I raged with curiosity. I could hear voices inside but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I edged forward, trying to hear better.

I froze as a bird chirped. What was it doing here? Birds rarely ventured out into the open in these times. The children emerged from the cave, causing the bird to fly away. _Finally, now I can see what's going on_.

There was a rustling behind a small hill of snow. Lucy, Blondie and the other girl clutched each other, Edmund standing apart from them. I prepared to use magic should it be an enemy. Beaver popped out from behind the snow. I let out a sigh of relief. He stopped and sniffed the air. _Oh no, what if he smelled me out?_ Thankfully he didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"It's a beaver." Lucy said, stating the obvious.

Beaver moved towards the Four, still on four paws and sniffing the air. I prayed he wouldn't smell me out. Blondie stepped forward, holding his fingers out as if he held food.

"Here boy," he made clicking noises with his tongue, "here boy." More clicking.

Beaver stood up on his hind paws, making Blondie reached even further towards him. Beaver looked up at the boy's face.

"I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want." I snorted, causing them to whip their heads towards where I stood, still invisible. They decided it was nothing and turned back towards Beaver.

"Oh, sorry." Blondie looked taken aback.

"Lucy Pevensie," Beaver said, calling out to the little girl.

"Yes," she replied hesitantly, stepping forward towards the Beaver. He held out a white linen hankerchief.

Lucy took it and studied it closely. "That's the hankie I gave to Mr. Tum"

"Tumnus." Beaver cut her off. "He got it to me just before they took him"

_No surprise there_ I thought.

"Is he alright?" the girl asked.

Beaver glanced around nervously before whispering "Further in."

He turned and went back the way he came. Blondie and Lucy followed after him.

"What are you doing?" their sister exclaimed.

"She's right," Edmund agreed, "How do we know we can trust him"

Blondie shrugged, "He says he knows the faun."

"He's a beaver, he shouldn't be saying anything!" I really didn't like the girl now.

Beaver popped his head back out from behind a clump of snow, "Everything alright?"

"Yes, we were just talking" Blondie explained.

"That's better left for safer places," Beaver whispered, disappearing again.

"He means the trees." Lucy explained.

They all exchanged looks at each other. Blondie sighed and lead the way, the others following.


	3. Chapter 2: Return to the Witch's palace

Author's note: REVIEW! Constructive criticism only please. Be nice. I live for reviews. They are like chocolate: reading them makes me happy (and possibly hyper). If I get more than three reviews, I will update sooner, if not, I will update in a week. If you don't care when I update, review anyway. If you hate chocolate, review anyway. If you're five and can't read, review anyway. If you….You get the point. Review!

Chapter 2: Return to the Witch's Palace

They all followed the Beaver. It was a long way to the Beaver's dam, I knew, but I didn't care if I had to hike across Narnia to make sure all four of them were safe. We entered a passage lined with walls of rock on either side. I saw the children gazing around in admiration.

"Come on," Beaver urged, its best not to be caught out hare after dark."

The sun was setting by the time we came within sight of the dam. The passage had narrowed as we walked through it and now we emerged from a crack in the wall around us that was just wide enough for one person to fit through it.

"Ah, blimey, looks like the old gal's got the kettle on! How 'd you like a cup of tea?" He said, upon seeing smoke coming out of the chimney.

"It's lovely!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Oh, it's merely a trifle you know. Still plenty to do I ain't finished yet," he was obviously trying to be modest but I could hear the pride in his voice.

As they approached the dam a voice rang out. _Probably Mrs. Beaver_, I realized.

"Beaver! Is that you? I've been worried sick! If I find you've been with badger again I'll – Oh!" She had spotted the children behind Beaver. "Those aren't badgers. Oh I never thought I'd live to see this day!" She turned and hissed at Beaver, "Look at my fur! You couldn't give me ten minutes warning?"

Beaver chuckled, "I would've given you a week if I thought it would've helped."

Edmund was the only one not to grin at this comment. All the others were grinning and Lucy was outright giggling. I knew I was smiling too.

"Come inside, and we'll see if we can't get you some food, and some civilized company" Mrs. Beaver invited them in.

Beaver chortled at this comment. Lucy was the first to run inside, quickly followed by her two eldest siblings. Edmund lingered outside, though, gazing once more out at the two hills out in the distance. I felt like hitting him but I restrained myself, praying he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Enjoying the scenery are we?" Beaver asked, leading Edmund inside.

I watched them for a while after they all entered the house. Once I could see that they were all settled down inside the house, I turned and headed back into the woods. I waited until I was deep enough into the woods that there was no chance of anybody seeing me from the Beaver's house even if they were looking out the window at the exact spot I was standing.

There, I released the darkness that had been shielding me from sight and the air lifting me off the ground. Snow was falling lightly down to earth, which was hardly unusual but tonight it seemed especially ominous, a sign that the Witch's power had not weakened. Stupidly, I had subconsciously thought that with the Four in Narnia and Aslan gathering an army over at the Stone Table (another useful fact which I had known for another week without telling my mother) spring might come to Narnia.

Deciding that the children were as safe as they possibly could be with the Beavers, I made a quick decision to return to my mother's palace. The Beavers would never give the Four over to the Witch, even if they had to die to get them to safety.

I shook the feeling off and flew, literally by using my power over air, all the way to the place where the trees ended. It was the same place that I had seen Edmund ogling merely minutes before. Along each side of the open, snowy plain were two hills of black rock. But I ignored all of these well-known features of the landscape and focused my attention on the palace. It was gigantic, built entirely out of ice with jagged, spiky walls and creepy towers.

Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself mentally for the meeting that was sure to take place. Talking with my mother always exhausted me.

I strode forward determinedly towards the eerie castle. This confrontation would involve a lot of lying, another thing which I had learned to do well. Maybe, I thought, I could avoid this for a while and talk to Storm for a while before meeting my mother.

The great doors of the castle opened by themselves as I approached and, once I had entered the courtyard full of statues, closed behind me with a loud clanging sound, like a prison door would make. Looking down so as not to see the terrified faces of the statues all around me, I continued without stopping straight to the grand entrance of the palace. Maugrim lay in front of the doors, as he usually did when it was his turn to guard the palace doors bout I ignored him. He flinched, recognizing my presence, but made no move to stop me from entering.

Once I passed through the doors, I saw a room full of nothing but space. It had no specific use but to serve as an entrance hall. In the center of the room was a steep staircase and to each side and a little behind were two doors. The one on the right led to a hallway which eventually became the stables, were both the reindeer and my best friend slept. Storm was there now, I knew, and I was tempted to go to him and tell him about the Four. The other door led to another steep staircase, this time leading down to the dungeons: a maze of icy rooms and barred doors which stretched everywhere under the castle. I had gotten used to finding my way around but when I was still young I had often gotten lost in the labyrinth.

I followed the staircase leading up. It was steep and very long, leading up to a pillared room filled. At the far end of the room from the staircase was an icy dais. A grand throne, tall and with lines etched into the back. Furs were laid on the seat, ready for when my mother would sit on it. Thick mist covered the floor, giving the room an eerie appearance.

There were many doors all around the hall, most leading to other rooms on this floor like the library, the war council chamber and my mother's and my private meeting rooms. Two of the doors, the ones directly on either side of the dais lead to more staircases, though these were smaller and wound around. Each of them lead to a different tower, one the witch's chambers and the other mine.

"GINABRIK!" I called, loudly. The dwarf was always wondering around somewhere.

Sure enough, he appeared a few seconds later, scowling as usual, "You called?" he rasped.

"Tell my mother I have arrived and request an audience with her," I assumed a tone of authority, "I will be waiting in her private meeting room."

I didn't waist any time making sure he followed my orders but proceeded through one of the many doors. My mother's meeting room was simple, a large throne for her and two small benches for her guests. The only adornment was a gigantic portrait of the queen. My meeting room was the same, except the portrait, which showed me instead of the witch.

I sat down and waited. It was only a few minutes before Jadis arrived, her usual ice blue dress and towering hairstyle in place. She looked as scary as ever, with her stern expression and pointed, glinting wand.

"Did you find anything?" she got straight to the point.

"A few footprints, but I think those were from the other day," I lied, "and a scrap of cloth caught on a tree, too small and wet to carry a scent. Nothing new."

"Did you check down by the faun's place?"

"Yes, there were a few animal prints but I think they were dumb animals sniffing around for food."

"Good," the witch replied briefly. "Now go and get changed, you look like a peasant not the queen's daughter and heir."

I nodded, got up, curtsied deeply and exited the room. Climbing the staircase up to the tower which was mine. The room was cluttered with magic books, dresses, jewelry and a lot of other things. I wasn't exactly a neat person.

Stripping down to my undergarments, I dug around until I found a dress my mother would find suitable. It was much fancier than the dress I had been wearing. It was long-sleeved and off the shoulders. The cuffs and collar were lined with soft white fur and the bodice was full of intricate white embroidery. The skirt was long and in three layers, the back of each layer was embroidered in a similar pattern as the bodice. There was a train on the dress, much longer than the one on my previous dress which had been almost nonexistent (pic on profile).

I didn't change my boots; they were comfortable and waterproof, handy if I needed to go somewhere rapidly. I did, however, brush my hair rapidly and make sure it was still in place. I applied light make-up in icy colors and very light pink paint to my lips. Quickly, before leaving the room I grabbed the royal diadem I had been given on my sixteenth birthday, the same day I had become immortal. It was made entirely of diamonds set in swirling patterns around my head (pic on profile). Finally I took the sword which was almost the length of my body and slung it across my back. I hadn't taken it through the woods, relying on my magic to protect me, but I had a strange feeling I would need it soon.

Once I was presentable, by my mother's standards at least, I headed back down the stairs, wanting to talk to Storm.


	4. Chapter 3: The Traitor

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that reviewed. I am so happy that you all love this story. Please review more. Again, be nice and constructive critism only please. Reviews make me happy. Happy me = more chapters. I will try to post one chapter a week but more than three reviews and I will update within a day.

Be happy, review, eat chocolate, sing in the shower, don't die, check out my profile, don't kill chickens and please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeease tell all your friends about this story. Also, play random practical jokes on people. Did I mention that you should review? Because you should. And, of course: Beware the power of utter randomness.

A special thank you to all those that reviewed: princess emma of narnia, TheLostHeroinesOfOlympus, Leanora, SofiaLugo and PolarBride. Keep Reading! This is for you guys, especially those of you that reviewed more than once. I love you guys, you keep me writing.

Chapter 3: The Traitor

I was down at the bottom of the main staircase of the palace when I heard the whispers. They were coming from the door opposite the one that lead to the stables. It was the door that went down to the dungeons. As far as I knew, there was only one prisoner down there, Mr. Tumnus the faun. He couldn't possibly have a conversation with himself.

I made a quick decision to check it out, heading away from the stables and through the barred door, down the staircase until I came to the beginning of the maze of narrow, icy corridors and prison cells. I followed the voices a little while through a few winding corridors.

I found the place where the voices were coming from, one of the large cells meant for many prisoners at once, full of shackles to hold prisoners down. I knew the faun had been locked in here two days ago. Opening the huge arched door, I walked down the few steps into the room.

"Is your sister alright? Is she safe?" the faun was asking.

He was in an alcove of the room, partly barred off by a frame of metal and ice around the entrance. He was leaning against that frame now, chewing a piece of the rotten, moldy bread the witch fed her prisoners. His legs were chained.

It was Edmund who answered. He was sitting on the other side of the barred wall, talking to the faun. I immediately realized what must have happened. Edmund had gone to the witch, as I supposed he might. I felt guilty. I had known exactly what he might do; I should have watched him more carefully

"I don't know," he admitted, looking guilty.

"You can't be blamed for what happens, Edmund," I spoke for the first time. Both of the prisoners looked up suddenly. They must not have noticed me before. "It is very hard to resist the White Queen. She knows how to manipulate people so that only those with the strongest minds know what game she is playing."

"Who are you?" Edmund asked.

"It doesn't matter right now. We don't have much time." I turned to Tumnus, "If I were you I'd stop eating that. Here."

I held out my hand towards a patch of empty ice. Instantly, a tree started to grow so fast that in only a few seconds, ripe apples were hanging from every branch. I tossed one to Mr. Tumnus and another to Edmund. As soon as I finished, the tree wilted and disappeared.

"How…?" I cut the boy off.

"We don't have time for useless questions. Now that the Witch knows you're in Narnia she will hunt your siblings down. I promise you I will try to protect them as much as I can but I can't do much for you now that you're in her grasp. She probably won't kill you: she'll try to use you as bait to get your siblings but just in case I will give you this."

I unclasped the ice crystal around my throat, knelt down, and clasped it around his head. Of course, he looked up skeptically.

"It's a necklace." He stated.

"There's a protection spell on it. The Witch can't use her magic on you as long as you wear it. Just don't let her see you have it," I explained.

Edmund looked amazed, "Thank you."

I looked back at Tumnus, "I am sorry I cannot give you anything to protect you, But we cannot lose the Son of Adam."

Tumnus nodded understandingly, accepting, I realized, that he would become just another one of the statues in the courtyard. I looked down for a moment, grief taking over. There was a clang of metal rattling somewhere in another part of the dungeons. I knew exactly what it meant.

"She is coming," I hissed, "I have to go."

I ran off, turning invisible as soon as I left the room. Just in time, I ducked into a hallway. The witch swept by not even 4 feet away from me. Sure enough, she entered the cell I had just exited. I heard shouting and a loud cry of "No!"

As much as I wanted to know what was happening, I knew every second I spent down here increased my chances of being seen. My mother was incredibly good at spotting me, even when I could not be seen by regular eyes. Continuing down the hallway I had taken, I went in the direction of the exit. Many of the cells were filled with statues, which really creeped me out. The statues were what I hated the most about the castle.

Once I exited the maze-like dungeons, I dashed across the entrance hall to the stable doors. Ginabrik was there, readying the reindeer. I ignored him, as I had been doing most of my life. The reindeer were often taken out and, with Lucy and her siblings loose in Narnia, it was only logical that my mother go to look for them. However, his presence meant I could not talk honestly with Stormracer.

He was in the biggest stall at the far end of the stables, lying curled on himself with his wing over his head, sleeping. Or, he looked like he was sleeping, but he couldn't have been because he lifted his head and sprang up as soon as I approached. Storm was a very heavy sleeper. He didn't speak, though, knowing he couldn't say anything in front of the dwarf.

"We're going for a ride." I announced. This was our code for 'we need to talk in private'.

I used air to lift the gigantic saddle which belonged to my friend on to his back. Then, I slid under his stomach, lying on my back, and fastened the saddle girths. The saddlebags were already packed with a cloak, blanket, food, a hairbrush, a map of Narnia (though I knew the country well enough not to need it) and my favorite magic book (I knew that by heart too). I always kept them packed, just in case.

Once I was ready, I climbed onto the gigantic creature's back and Storm padded out of the wide double doors which led out into the courtyard. Unfortunately, I couldn't go much farther than that because of the older replica of me which stood in the courtyard, obviously waiting for the sleigh, which came out of the stable doors right behind me.

"Ah, Rayna, there you are," she said, climbing into the sleigh. "I am glad you are already ready. I have a mission for you.


	5. Chapter 4: Ordeal at the River

Author's Note: OMG! I can't believe that I have had so many reviews. I am increasing the number of reviews for one new chapter to five reviews. Again, please be nice and give me lots of constructive criticism. Reviews are angels, puppies, rainbows, chocolate and everything else that is good. So please make my life happy by reviewing. Again, thanks to all those that reviewed. I need reviews to live so please give me reviews. Also, check out my profile, answer my poll and tell all your friends to read my stories.

I love to make people happy, so if you have any ideas, advice, suggestions, etc… then please PM me and tell me I promise I will try to put your ideas into the story as long as long it doesn't affect the general plot of the story. Please, I would love to hear some new ideas.

Chapter 4: Ordeal at the River

This couldn't be good. Of course it was quite obvious what she would ask me to do: hunt down the Son of Adam and the Daughters of Eve. After all, I was the Silver Dagger, her assassin and spy.

"Ginabrik, fetch Edmund," Jadis turned to her servant.

He trotted off, his long riding whip still in his hand. The witch watched him go before turning to me.

"You will hunt down the three remaining humans. Bring them to me alive and do not disappoint me. You are my heir and you must prove yourself worthy." She commanded.

"Of course, Mother. I would not dream of disappointing you." I bowed my head.

At that moment, the palace doors opened and Edmund walked out, followed by Ginabrik who had a dagger to the boy's back. I saw him focus on one of the statues in the courtyard. Mr. Tumnus, I realized. Ginabrik pushed him forward.

"You have already disappointed me once today by failing to find out that the humans had arrived in Narnia. Do not make me think that you are not as skilled as I thought. The wolves will join you later and I will follow. Now go," the Witch dismissed.

I met Edmund's eyes. He seemed shocked to see me here. Obviously he had not realized that I worked for the Witch. I gave him a faint smile before Storm took off, rising high into the sky and up above the palace walls.

Once we were soaring high out of earshot of anything, Storm turned his long neck back slightly to look at me.

"They have finally arrived in Narnia. I was starting to wonder if they would ever turn up."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you as soon as I got back," I apologized.

He ignored this comment. "So, what's the plan?"

"I'd have though it was obvious. We find the humans, help them to reach Aslan and defend them from the wolves, the Witch and anybody else she sends after us."

"I have a feeling it won't be that easy." He laughed.

"Let's go," I couldn't help laughing along with him.

The ice dragon picked up his pace; soaring faster in the direction of the Stone table, where we both knew Aslan was waiting with an army. Both of us looked down, searching the ground for any sign of the Four and the two Beavers.

It didn't take us long to find them. They were on the banks of the Great River, which had been frozen for a hundred years. The first thing I noticed was that it was no longer frozen, at least not completely. Chunks of ice were breaking away and floating downstream. Only the waterfall was still frozen, along with a wide strip of ice at its base.

Storm landed on the bank opposite from where the five travelers were attempting to cross. Still invisible, I swung off Storm's back and stepped onto the ice. I knelt down and laid a hand on the ice. It was always easier to do magic when I was touching what I wanted the element I was working with. I closed my eyes and concentrated on freezing the water under the ice on which I was standing, and then extending it to where the children were attempting to cross so that the ice thickened and was safer to pass across.

I hoped the Beavers would have the sense to make the children cross quickly, I couldn't hold the ice for long. A powerful magic was bringing spring to Narnia and it was a fight to do anything which would reinforce the winter. Every second I held onto the stream of magic I was creating were a struggle.

"Oh no!"

"Run!"

The loud cries made me look up and, looking towards where the group was gazing, I saw the wolves cross the waterfall above the children and descend down to where the children were standing. Some others tried to come at the children from behind, but I allowed the ice to crack and break away so that they could not reach them.

Maugrim stood and faced the children along with one other wolf, growling and baring his sharp teeth. Beaver made a snarling sound in response but was tackled by the wolf behind Maugrim.

"No!" Mrs. Beaver cried.

"Peter!"

Peter, as I now knew he was called, grabbed the sheath at his waist, fumbling a little to draw the sword. Where had he gotten a sword? He pointed it at Maugrim, holding it hesitantly, his finger trembling a little.

"Put that down boy," Maugrim padded forward, "someone could get hurt."

"Don't worry about me, run him through!" Beaver called desperately.

_Hurry up, kill him. I can't hold this much longer. _I agreed in my thoughts. I was struggling to keep the ice intact, but the Spring Magic Aslan had released was strong, refusing to be pushed down and conquered.

"Leave now while you still can," Maugrim threatened.

"Stop, Peter, maybe we should listen to him!" the eldest girl screamed at him.

Maugrim chuckled, "Smart girl."

"Don't listen to him, kill him!" Beaver spoke my thoughts.

"Ah, come on, this isn't your war. All my queen wants is for you to take your family and go."

_Liar! _Thankfully the only person who seemed to believe him was the brown-haired girl that I didn't like at all. _Of course she would believe him_, I couldn't help thinking.

"Look, just because some man in a red coat hands you a sword it doesn't make you a hero! Just drop it!"

Santa Claus! He had broken out of the Witch's grasp, then. My mother's power was wakening, I could tell.

Beaver, struggling with the wolf that held him, called out to Peter again. "No, Peter! Narnia needs ya, gut him while you still have the chance!"

"What'll it be Son of Adam? I won't wait forever, and neither will the river."

He was right of course, I was clutching to my last thread of power for dear life, but it wasn't enough. Cracks appeared in the waterfall above us, water spraying out.

"Peter!" Lucy cried.

Peter hesitated, then after a second cried "Hold on to me!" and plunged his sword into the ice at his feet, his two sisters clutching at his coat.

At that moment my power gave out. I collapsed on the ice, visible once more as I guessed was Storm, and the whole water fall broke, water crashing down in a gigantic wave. I barely had the energy to struggle to the surface, but I knew I had no chance of reaching the bank.

Then, I noticed Storm. He was racing on the bank alongside me and, as I watched he leapt in after me. Once he reached me, he used his gigantic head to push me up into the saddle. I clung to him as he swam back to the shore. Once he had scrambled back onto solid ground, I attempted to dismount but instead fell into a wet heap into the snow.

Faintly, I heard Storm's gentle voice calling out to me and his warm breath at my back as he tried to nudge me back to my feet. It was no use though, I was seeing blurred. My eyes were shutting slowly, too heavy to keep open. I ached everywhere and my head was pounding. All I could see was a black void, and I let it take me. The last thing I saw before I passed out was Storm curling protectively around me, protecting me from the cold and any creature that might pass by.


	6. Chapter 5: Evening with the Pevensies

Author's note: REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Also, check out my profile, answer my poll and tell all your friends about this story. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the story, please PM me. I will try to put them into the story. 3 reviews and I will publish one more chapter.

Ages for the characters:

Peter: 16

Susan: 15

Edmund: 13

Lucy: 12

Rayna: 87 but looks 16

Chapter 5: Evening with the Pevensies

I opened my eyes and looked around. It was dark and I lay not too far from a campfire. I sat up, wondering who could have made it. Immediately, I noticed the blond boy from the river, Peter, looking towards me in concern. Behind him were his two sisters and the Beavers. Storm lay curled around me protectively.

"Good, you're awake," Storm noted casually, though I could hear relief in his voice.

I felt a surge of gratefulness from my friend. He was not at all trusting of people in most circumstances, he must really have been worried about me in order to let them help me.

I moved so that I was leaning against his warm flank. My hair had come loose in the river and my diadem was nowhere to be seen, not that I cared if it was at the bottom of the river. My dress, though wrinkled and dirty was still intact and I could still feel the dagger tucked into my boots. My sword lay in its sheath at my side.

Lucy was the one to try and make introductions, "Hi, I am glad you're alright. Your friend was awfully worried about you. I'm Lucy, by the way, my sister is Susan and that's Peter," She pointed towards her sister and brother. "What's your name?"

"I'm Rayna. Didn't Storm tell you that?" I asked, puzzled.

"If you're talking about the dragon," Susan said bitterly, "then no, he didn't. Of course, he didn't mind asking for help, but he wouldn't say anymore then that. I didn't think it was a good idea to help two random strangers, but Peter had to be chivalrous and insisted we help. Honestly, we've almost been killed several times and –"

"Will you shut up, Susan?" Peter interrupted. "Here," he handed me a bowl of hot soup. "So what happened to you?"

_Thank Aslan I'm a good liar_, I thought. "I was near the river when the ice broke. I must have fallen in and hit my head on something. I don't really remember much,"I sipped the soup. "What about you? I'm guessing you're heading to Aslan's camp."

"We need to ask him to help our brother. He's been captured by the White Witch."

"I know. Word gets around."

"We're stopping here for the night, would you like to sleep here for tonight?" Mrs. Beaver asked casually.

I made a quick decision, "Actually, I was heading to the Stone Table too, to join the army assembling there. Maybe we could travel together. It's safer to travel in larger numbers. After all, the Witch is probably sending half her army after you. You need the extra protection."

"She's right ya know," Mr. Beaver chimed in, "Rumor is the Witch even sent the Silver Dagger after ya."

"The who?" Susan interrupted her sulking to ask.

"Her assassin," I filled her in.

"No one's ever seen him and lived," Beaver explained. _Him?_

"But what makes you think you can protect us?" Peter asked. _He is afraid I think he isn't able to protect himself,_ I realized.

"Because I have trained with a sword since the moment I was old enough to hold one. You can't have had that sword for more than a day and you've probably never actually used it."

Peter stayed silent, looking away, not able to find anything to say in response to my comment.

The rest of the evening was rather awkward. Storm and I talked in whispers about what had happened and worrying about what would happen when my mother found out about our betrayal. The humans and the two beavers kept up a rather energetic conversation, about what I had no idea. I couldn't help but feel jealous at the sense of family which was so obvious in the way they laughed together. I had been alone with only Storm as a friend for so long I wondered what it would be like to have other friends, or a family.

Slowly, the campfire died and first Lucy, then Susan and the Beavers dropped off into the world of dreams. Storm was snoring by my side. Finally, Peter and I were the only two left awake.

After a while, he got up and walked over to me, sitting next to me against Storm's white, fluffy side, "I'm sorry about earlier, you know, with the protection thing."

"It's fine. You were doubting yourself and I didn't make it any easier for you, telling you that you weren't any good with a sword."

"You were right, you know. I've never even handled a sword except to point it at a wolf, and even then I didn't do anything with it. And then you go and say you've known how to use a sword your whole life and I feel like a complete idiot," he admitted.

I smiled, "Don't worry about it, you'll learn and then you'll probably be even better than me. I'm not actually the best swordfighter."

"I just don't know if I can learn fast enough to protect my family. Edmund's already been captured and Lucy almost drowned in the river."

"I don't really know how you feel, so I can't give you any advice. It's always been just Storm and me," I told him.

"Don't you have any family?" Peter looked astonished.

"I have a mother but I hate her more than anything. I avoid her as much as possible," I admitted.

"Oh. I've always had my family. I can't imagine what I'd do without them," I envied him for that.

There was a long moment of silence. Both of us were lost in our thoughts. I wondered what life was like for Peter, being the oldest of four and to always have someone there for them. I had lived 87 years, but only 64 of those years had been spent with Stormracer. Other than him, I'd always been alone.

"Teach me!" Peter burst out suddenly.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Teach me swordfighting. I want to learn – need to learn – to handle a sword. Maybe I could learn fast enough to be able to keep them safe." He seemed eager.

"Sure," I agreed, "but not now. Tomorrow morning, I can teach you the basics."

"You're right, it's late. We should go to sleep."

"Good night."

We lay down, me still pressed up against Storm and Peter a little way off. I tried to drift off to sleep, but I couldn't. After a long time, I sat up and pulled the dagger out of my boot. The sheath was made out of grey stone and capped with silver at both the tip and opening of the sheath. Unsheathing the dagger, I gazed at the silver blade. It was curved wickedly with a handle made from the same grey stone as the sheath (pic on profile).

This blade had given me my title, the Silver Dagger. I had had it for as long as I could remember, even before I had started to train in magic. I had never dared to throw it away or even purposefully lose it, as this blade had been brought over from Charn, my mother's native kingdom, when Narnia had been created. I hated the blade deeply though, like it weighed me down with my mother's evil influence. Sighing, I sheathed the blade and tucked it back into my boot and lay back down. It was a long while before I fell asleep, though.

I woke up early the next morning. Lucy was the only one awake. Even Storm, who was usually an early riser, was still asleep. That probably had more to do with the fact that he had hauled me out of a river the day before and spent the entire afternoon worrying about me than a change in his eating habits.

"Good morning," I greeted Lucy.

"Hi!" She got up and walked over to me.

"We should wake up the others. We can't stay in one place too long. The river melting will have delayed the witch awhile but she will be here soon."

"I wish we could make some breakfast but we're out of food," she seemed sad, not that she wouldn't get anything to eat, but that she wouldn't be able to surprise her siblings with a meal.

"I have food," I offered. Lucy grinned.

"Good, we can have something to eat." Lucy sounded more upbeat.

I reached over to the saddlebags hanging from Storm's massive saddle and took out two loaves of bread, a few apples and a gigantic chunk of ham. Lucy looked excitedly at the food. She cut the bread into slices with her dagger and cut the apples in half so that everyone would have some fruit. She also carved some of the ham, but left most of it alone. That would be Storm's meal.

She set about waking her siblings and the Beavers while I was given the harder task of waking Storm. The ice dragon slept like a log and, just to make the job even harder, he had to be woken gently or he would probably kill a tree or two. In fact, Storm did smash a tree with his tail once I had woken him up, which caused Susan to shriek and start ranting about the dangers of keeping a ferocious animal as a pet.


	7. AN: Please Read!

Author's note: Please read

I am very excited about this story and about the number of reviews it has been getting. The problem is, I can't write every day like I have been. One new chapter will be published every week, on Saturday. If I have more than 6 reviews, then I will publish another chapter either later that day and on Sunday.

Other than that, my message to you stays the same: review, check out my profile, answer my poll and tell all of your friends about this story.

Thanks, keep reading!

SeleneQueenoftheNight


	8. Chapter 6: Swordfighting and a Long Walk

A/N: So, as usual, I am going to give a small but annoying blurb on what you should do. Here it goes: (*clears throat*) "I, as the wonderful and creative author of this story, would love to hear your thoughts/ advice/ ideas/ etc on this story so please, please review this fanfiction. If I get 7 more reviews, I will publish an extra chapter on Sunday. If you have any ideas for the story (that do not involve anything crazy like killer robot aliens or Aslan singing jingle bombs from Achmed the Dead Terrorist, which I do not own and which can be found on YouTube) I will try to get them into the story sometime. Also, please check out my profile and answer my poll. Tell all your friends about this story, watch videos on youtube and randomly yell at people (no, but seriously, please do actually tell your friends about this story, I just like random comments). Beware the power of utter randomness! Thank you."

There, that was my speech, now on with…

Chapter 6: Swordfighting and a Long Walk

(Please note that I know nothing about swordfighting and so can make no claim that any of this will be accurate.)

"You still owe me a swordfighting lesson," Peter reminded me as we began to pack up camp.

I laughed lightly, "I don't owe you anything, I merely agreed to teach you. Come on, take your sword out."

I grabbed my sword from the hook on Storm's saddle which was made especially for holding my sword in a place where I could easily reach it while flying and unsheathed it. I brought it down against my knee, splitting it in half.

"Why did you just break your sword?" Lucy looked astonished.

"Don't worry, it's meant to break in half. I put it back together afterwards," I demonstrated, showing Lucy how I could clip it back together afterwards.

She trotted over to a giant tree not far off and sat down on one of the thick roots raised over the ground. Susan joined her, as did the Beavers.

I walked over to Peter, who also had his sword out, "Here, hold it like this."

I showed him how to hold it, and seeing how clumsy he seemed to feel with it, I put my hand over his on the sword and adjusted his grip. Once he had gotten used to the feel of the weapon, I began teaching him how to use the weapon, correcting his posture now and then to make sure he got the strokes right. His audience was just as eager as he was. Mr. Beaver shouted advice while Lucy and Mrs. Beaver cheered him on and Susan yelled at him to be careful.

"Alright, you know the basic strokes. Now defend yourself!" I struck out with one sword and he just managed to stop the blow with his shield. Before he had time to launch an attack, I swung my other sword at his arm and he met my sword with his, a loud metallic clang echoing through the air. I twisted my sword around pressing down on the hilt and forcing him to let go of his weapon. I raised my other sword to strike and he raised his shield to stop it. I launched into a series of rapid blows with both swords, finally finding an opening. He froze as my sword pointed at his neck. "Dead," I announced, lowering my weapon.

We kept dueling for a little while and, by my fifth win, Peter had begun to wise up and was able to launch his own attacks through my series of rapid blows. I did more dodging than blocking, leaving my swords free to attack him. At one point, his sword came down towards me too fast for me to do anything but block the blow. Our swords were crossed in midair and we were both pressing against them, refusing to give up first. Suddenly, Peter drew back. I guessed what he was going to do just in time and ducked as his shield slammed towards where my face would have been. As I went down, I reached into my boot and grabbed my dagger. I stood back up only to be met with Peter's sword in my face.

"I win," he grinned.

"Not quite," I looked pointedly down to the spot where my dagger was pointed at his stomach.

He dropped his sword and groaned, "I thought I'd got you this time."

"Don't worry about it," I laughed, "We've only been doing this for about an hour. You're doing really well for someone who's just started learning to fight."

"And anyway, you didn't really lose," Lucy comforted her brother.

"You just didn't win," Susan pointed out _helpfully_.

Peter glared at her, "Shut up, Su." He turned to me, "Let's try it again."

I shook my head, "I think that's enough for now. We have to get to the Stone Table."

Peter and I were coated in sweat by this time. I guessed Peter was just tired from the fighting and trying to keep up. I however, was feeling hot in my long-sleeved, fur-lined dress. Using the dagger in my hand, I cut through the dress, removing the sleeves and the fur collar until all that was left of the top of my dress was an intricately embroidered sleeveless bodice. The skirts I left alone, they were light enough not to bother me too much.

Susan gave me a strange look and I shrugged, "It's hot."

"Let's go," Storm decided, heaving his heavy white body off the ground.

I didn't mount him as was usual for us but just walked at his side along with the five others. We headed deeper into the woods, leaving behind only three coats, some scraps of white fabric and fur and some charred ashes from the campfire.

The walk to the Stone Table was a pleasant one, with laughing and talking between everyone. I would have been perfectly happy if not for one thing: the children wanted to know about my life.

I didn't want to lie, I knew that I would be found out sooner or later, so I just lowered my head and didn't answer. They stopped asking after a while, though I hated that I couldn't tell them anything. There was only one question to which I actually answered.

"How did you meet Storm?" Lucy asked, hesitantly.

"She saved my life," Storm answered.

Peter gaped, "How did you manage that?"

"It wasn't really anything," I managed, glaring at Storm. "It sounds much more heroic than it was. But we've been together ever since."

"I think it's sweet. How long ago was that?" Lucy smiled.

"A long time ago," if I'd revealed exactly when it was, there would have been quite a few awkward questions.

We were only about a mile away from Aslan's camp when we saw the first creature since the river. It was a robin, the same one that had alerted the children of Beaver's presence only two days ago at Tumnus' cave, when it was still full winter. It seemed like a long time ago, I realized.

"Hail, Son of Adam, Daughters of Eve." He chirped.

"Hail, Friend Robin," I responded formally.

"I shall warn Aslan of your imminent arrival, farewell friends," and with that he flew off.

We watched him go. It didn't take very long for him to disappear among the trees.

Beaver broke the silence, "Nice chap, Robin is. He isn't much of a conversationalist though."

"We shouldn't keep Aslan waiting. Come on."


	9. Chapter 7: Aslan and His Army

Author's Note: I can't believe how many reviews I had in one day. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Again, please review, check out my profile, answer my poll, tell all your friends about this story and write me if you have any ideas for the story. Also, please write with some suggestions for Narnian names because I would love to include some new characters into the story and am very bad at coming up with names. If you have any suggestions for new characters, please tell me about them.

Chapter 7: Aslan and His Army

Aslan's army was located in a small, grassy valley dotted everywhere with red and gold tents. The largest tent, I assumed it was Aslan's, was located at the highest point on the hill. Creatures and animals of every kind busied around.

As we entered the camp, a centaur blew a horn, announcing our arrival. All around us were trees in full bloom, grass, flowers and pools of clear, flowing water. It was at that moment that I realized that this was the first time I had ever seen spring. Of course, I had tried to recreate it many times, magically growing plants and melting the water around me but this was different. When I had tried to make spring, there was always the cold light of winter around me, and no birds sang or dyads appeared around me, as there was now.

I suppose we were a strange group, tired and travel worn, the two eldest children with solemn expressions, Lucy waving to passing dryads and the Beavers smiling proudly. They were all excited to be here, and I was not. I had a feeling that Aslan would know me for who I was the moment he laid eyes on me. The Silver Dagger would not be welcomed into the Narnian camp, I knew.

As we walked through the camp, creatures turned to stare, ceasing their work to follow us through to Aslan's tent.

"Why are they all staring at us," Susan managed through her smile.

Lucy couldn't help but make a joke at that, "Maybe they think you look funny."

Even I, in my somber, desolate mood, couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Oy, stop your fussing," Beaver whispered to his wife, who was frantically running her paws through her fur. "You look lovely."

It seemed like every creature in the camp was behind us as we neared Aslan's tent. A black centaur stood near it, guarding the tent. He walked a few steps forward towards us. Peter drew his sword and held it up as a sign of respect.

"We have come to see Aslan," he tried to sound confidant, though the nervousness was obvious in his voice.

The centaur didn't talk, merely looking to the great tent. As if that was a silent signal, every creature in camp bowed, even the black centaur in front of us. The curtains at the entrance of the tent rustled and a huge, golden paw came out, followed by the rest of the Great Lion's body. Instantly, we all knelt, Storm putting one knee to the ground and lowering his massive neck.

"Welcome Peter, Son of Adam. Welcome Susan and Lucy, Daughters of Eve, and welcome to you Stormracer, Rayna and Beavers, you have my thanks," Aslan greeted us in his rich, deep voice. "But where is the fourth?"

This caused us all to stand back up, with solemn expressions on our faces. It was Peter, however, who answered the question.

"That's why we're here, sir. We need your help." He sheathed his sword.

Susan continued for him, "We had some trouble along the way."

"Our brother's been captured by the Witch," Peter finished.

"Captured?" Aslan seemed troubled, "How could this happen?"

Everyone seemed reluctant to answer this question, not wanting to reveal the awful truth about their brother. Finally, Mr. Beaver spoke, "He… betrayed them, Your Majesty."

There was an outburst of whispering among the army at his words. The centaur Peter had spoken to earlier let out a horse-ish sound.

"Then he has betrayed us all."

"Peace, Oreius," Aslan silenced him. "I am sure there is an explanation."

"It's my fault, really… I was too hard on him," Peter confessed softly.

Susan put a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder, "We all were," she agreed, which made me think I may have misjudged her.

"Sir, he's our brother," Lucy spoke to the lion in her small voice.

Aslan's words were gentle as he answered, sad as well, "I know, dear one, but that only makes the betrayal all the worse. This may be harder than you think."

I was the only one in the crowd who understood this. I remembered my mother, teaching me the Deep Magic, the laws on which Narnia was built. Traitors belonged to her, I knew, and if Edmund was restored to his siblings, I knew she would not hesitate to claim his blood for sacrifice. Aslan was right, this was not only a question of finding Edmund and bringing him back from the Witch's camp. There was no way for the Deep Magic to be broken. Edmund was my mother's by right.

Lost in my thoughts, I had not heard Aslan's words of dismissal, but I was aware of Oreius the centaur leading Peter to a large tent not far off and a birch dryad made entirely of small, light leaves leading the two girls away. Storm also left my side, led away by a talking bear, after giving me an encouraging look.

"Come inside, Rayna, we need to talk," Aslan spoke to me directly, leading me inside the tent.

It was dark inside, with no furniture. Aslan took up much of the space inside the tent, almost lighting it up with his very presence.

"You have risked much to come here," Aslan began. "To keep Edmund safe, you have risked you protection from the Witch's spells and to save your friends from the wolves, you risked your life."

"I do not wish to be like my mother, and I will do anything to see her reign end, even lay down my life."

"Yes, brave one, I do not doubt your allegiance, no one could say that you have done anything that would aid your mother."

I was shocked at his last comment. He knew who I was and yet he believed I was loyal to him without doubt.

"How can you say that when you know who I am?" I flat out asked him.

"I know who you are, Daughter of Charn, I do not see you for who your mother has tried to make you into," Aslan explained gently.

"Thank you," my voice was choked up with relief. On a streak of gratefulness, I reached down and grabbed my mother's dagger from my boot and held it out, still sheathed. "Please," I asked, "Take this as a sign of my allegiance."

"No, dear one, you will need it yet. I need no proof of your loyalty, all I ask is that you continue to help the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, and teach Peter to fight, especially," Aslan requested.

"I would be honored, of course."

"Then we are done here, I believe," Aslan dismissed me, "Do not forget what I have said, Rayna. You are not who your mother wants you to be."

With a nod, I exited the tent. Oreius was waiting outside, in the same spot as he had been when we first walked up to the tent. He trotted over when he saw me leave the tent. "Will you allow me to show you to my tent, Lady?"

"I am no lady," I responded slightly too quickly, but I caught myself in time and in a gentler tone, answered his question, "though I would be glad to be shown my tent."

We walked in silence through the camp for only about a minute before we arrived at the tent which had been assigned as mine. It wasn't as large as the ones my traveling companions had been given, but much bigger than I had expected. Storm lay curled outside the tent but raised his head when I approached.

"Thank you," I nodded deeply to the centaur, which walked off.

"What happened? What did he say? Does he know? Tell me, Rayna." Storm asked so fast I was taken aback. It was not like him to be anxious or impatient.

"He knows who I am, Storm, but he believes I am as loyal to him as any other. He even wants me to continue teaching Peter swordfighting," I was still in slight shock at this comment.

Storm was silent but I knew he felt exactly the same way I did: relieved, happy and slightly shocked. I left him to ponder what exactly this meant to us and went inside to freshen up. The inside was sparsely furnished, the only items of furniture in the room being a bed, a wardrobe, a small nightstand and a vanity, all carved out of dark wood and with lion head carvings on them. It was all so different from my tower back in the Witch's icy palace, and yet it felt more like home than that had ever been.

I walked over to the vanity, on which rested a jug full of water, a basin and a towel. I poured water into the basin. Certain that I was alone, I let the water come to me, soaking my face thoroughly. Once I was done I wiped myself down with the soft, fluffy towel and walked over to the wardrobe. It was full of dresses, all with at least some white in them. How had Aslan known? I picked one that I liked and put it on, then looked myself over in the mirror imbedded on the inside of the wardrobe.

I was still the same: tall, pale, with icy eyes and dark blonde hair. I was different at the same time too. My hair was wild and tangled and I looked happier, though my eyes, sparkling blue as usual, showed my age and the sadness I had endured during those long years. The dress fit me perfectly. It was white with long sleeves, though made of material that was light enough that I knew I would not get too hot in it. The sleeves flared out at the end, revealing a layer of dark blue fabric. The dress laced up in front, letting show a wide strip of the same blue fabric (pic on profile). I had also changed my boots for a more summery pair of shoes: silvery sandals that went up almost to my knees in a swirling design (pic on profile).

I tore myself away from my reflection and grabbed a hairbrush, combing my hair back into its usual half-up, half-down style, though adding a small bunch of white flower on one side of my head. I also applied my usual light make-up.

I was about to leave the tent and rejoin Storm, when I spotted my dagger, which I had left on the nightstand when I removed my boots. Remembering Aslan's words that I would need it later, I tucked it into the laces of my sandals before leaving.


	10. Chapter 8: The Rescue

Author's Note: Ok, first of all, the basics: read, review, check out my profile, and answer my poll. Second, please, please, please, please write to me about any new ideas. As I mentioned last time, I want to add some Narnian characters but I need names and that is unfortunately not my strong point. Please write about any new characters you have ideas for.

I am really sorry about this chapter being late, but my computer broke down yesterday and so I couldn't get Saturday's chapter up. I am publishing it now though, and if I get seven reviews I should be able to get another chapter up on Wednesday. If not, the next chapter will be up next Saturday. Again, sorry for the long wait.

Lastly, who has seen the new Harry Potter movie? I saw it Friday night and I have to say it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. I can't wait for the next movie to come out.

Chapter 8: The Rescue

Storm walked at my side, as we both explored the camp. We'd known each other long enough that we didn't need to talk but could just walk side by side, with my hand buried in the soft feathers on his flank, and appreciate the beauty of spring and the easy, carefree attitude of most of the narnians, who laughed and talked as they worked. Looking up, we saw Peter, now in narnian clothes, talking to Aslan at the edge of a small cliff overlooking the camp.

"Do you think the witch has realized that we have betrayed her?" Storm wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but it doesn't really matter, we're here and we will stay and help Aslan win this war. I don't care if my mother knows about it or not, it wouldn't change a thing anyway." I answered, with absolute certainty.

"She still has the second Son of Adam. We must tread carefully if we want to keep him safe."

I was suddenly worried, "I hope Edmund's alright. The necklace I gave him won't protect him from anything but magic directly aimed at him. She can't turn him to stone but she can still kill him or seriously injure him."

"Aslan will make sure he's safe," Storm comforted me.

I was about to comment on this when the loud blast of a horn sounded through the air. Peter turned and ran towards the sound. For a minute, I wondered what it was, but then the realization dawned on me.

"Susan! That's her horn!" I cried out pulling myself onto Storm's back.

The ice dragon didn't wait a moment to take off, flapping his large wings and taking off, soaring not too high up, so as to be able to see what was going on. Peter was way ahead of us already, but Storm had almost caught up to him by the time we reached the place where the girls were.

The two girls had managed to climb a tree, getting out of reach of the two wolves now growling, leaping up and snapping their jaws at Susan's feet, which dangled from a branch. I recognized Maugrim and his second in command, Eadulf.

"Get back!" Peter shouted at the two wolves, racing through a shallow stream and drawing his sword.

Storm landed, running a few steps before drawing back. I grabbed my sword and unsheathed it, ready to go help Peter fight off the two wolves now circling him but Storm held me back.

"Let him try to prove himself, we both know he needs to," Storm held me back with one massive paw. I knew he was right, so I stayed in place but kept my double sword unsheathed, ready to leap in if he needed help.

"Come on!" Maugrim growled. "We've been through this before. We both know you haven't got it in you."

"Peter, watch out!" Susan cried.

Peter's sword was pointing from on wolf to another, making sure they didn't get too close. There was a whimper as Eadulf was pinned down by a golden paw: Aslan. I had not noticed him in my concentration on the battle. Oreius had his sword out, but Aslan stopped him with a word.

"No, stay your weapons, this is Peter's fight."

Peter turned back to Maugrim, who paced closer bit by bit, "You may think you're a king, but you're going to die… LIKE A DOG!"

He leapt at Peter, who had just enough time to raise his sword before the wolf fell on top of him. I had seen enough fights to know that Maugrim would die, but whether or not he would kill Peter before that, I could not know. There were shrieks from the girls as they leapt down from the tree to join their brother. I raced forward as well, dropping my sword and helping them push the heavy wolf body off of their brother.

Peter sat up, looking dazed, but uninjured and hugged his two sisters tightly. He gave me a grateful look, glad I had given him a chance to do this alone. Aslan released the second wolf, which gave a small whimper and raced off.

"After him," Aslan ordered, "He'll lead you to Edmund."

Oreius gave a deep nod and raced off with about a dozen other narnians. I grabbed my sword and swung onto Storm's back, racing off after them. Storm didn't fly this time, but his running was almost as fast. We had caught up to Oreius in no time, following the wolf through the woods. There was no talking as we raced through the woods, following Eadulf who, now that Maugrim was dead, was the captain of the witch's secret police.

It was dusk when we reached the witch's camp. The wolf we had been following all afternoon seemed to still be unaware of our presence and raced into the camp. Oreius continued to charge, about to head into the camp, but Storm managed to get in front of him and block the way.

"We can't just charge in," I said, "This is the witch we're talking about. She'll turn us all to stone if we're not careful."

Oreius looked me over, surprised. He'd obviously thought I had no talent in battle and would definitely not know how to lead a raid.

"Perhaps you are right," he admitted. "What do you suggest?"

Thinking quickly, I spoke, "Let me go on first. I'll find Edmund and, when I send you a signal, you lead the charge into camp. We'll have to act fast, though, before the Witch can get to us."

Oreius nodded, "What will the signal be?"

I took out my dagger and reflected held it so that the silver blade caught the sparse light. There was a flash of bright light and, when I turned the blade again, it disappeared.

"Three flashes means go, one flash run away, if there's a problem," I explained.

I dismounted from Storm's back, made sure my sword was safely slung across my back and snuck into the camp. Once I knew I was out of sight of the narnians waiting for my signal, I made myself invisible as I had done so many times before when I didn't want to be spotted. Harr

I knew my mother would keep Edmund in the center of the camp, thinking there would be no way for anybody to reach him there. Of course, she also hadn't counted on my siding with the narnians to free Edmund. It didn't take me very long to find him, tied to a tree and gagged. Ginabrik had been put on guard duty, which was a pretty stupid move considering I had never seen a worse fighter than him in my life.

I let my cover slip and Ginabrik started at seeing me appear right in front of him. He didn't have time to make as sound as vines wrapped around him from his feet to his mouth and he fell to the ground. I ignored his struggles and rushed over to Edmund, cutting him loose. He jumped to his feet and was about to speak when I covered his mouth with my hand and gave him a pointed look. He got the message.

"Tie him up to the tree," I whispered, gesturing to the dwarf.

He complied and dragged the dwarf to the tree that he had been tied up to only seconds before. As soon as the dwarf was securely tied up to the tree with the ropes that had held Edmund, I allowed the vines cocooning Ginabrik to loosen. At the same time, I took out my dagger, and flashed it three times, the way I had shown Oreius. The dwarf behind me started to make a very offensive comment, but Edmund picked up the cloth that he had been gagged with and tied it around his mouth, tightening it. I walked over to the dwarf and stuck my dagger into his hat.

"Tell my mother I said hello, will you?" I whispered to him so that Edmund couldn't hear.

The others arrived at that moment, Oreius leading the charge, Storm right behind him. As they passed, not slowing down, I launched myself onto Storm's back and pulled Edmund on after me. I grabbed my sword from my back ready to fight the witch's forces, which were everywhere around us. Storm took off, up over the forest, where we could see the rest of the raiding party, fighting all sorts of other creatures.

We weren't alone for long, however. About half a dozen harpies rose into the skies behind us, giving chase. My sword wouldn't be useful in this fight, I decided, I would have to fight them off at long range.

One of them raced towards me and I thrust my hands forward, commanding wind to send it far away. Two more were charred to ashes as I used my power over fire on them. One more had its wings frozen so that it fell to the ground, unable to fly. That left two, speeding towards us at full speed. Fire engulfed one but the other managed to dodge the flame. I tried again, but it seemed to be an unusually good flier, because it managed to evade that attack too.

I was so focused on the harpy that I didn't notice the one I had blown away come back at me from behind until Edmund cried out. I turned just in time to se the harpy sink its claws into my shoulder, tearing my dress to pieces to reveal white skin, now bloodied and a mess of scratches. I gasped out in pain, and tried to fight it off but the creature was too close for me to do much. It was Storm that saved me, turning his long neck back and grabbing the harpy in his huge jaws, biting down hard. The creature fell broken to the ground far below. The last harpy had disappeared, and I didn't particularly want to know where it had gone.

We were almost at Aslan's camp by now, and I could still see Oreius and the other narnians below us. Storm landed at the edge of camp, at the same time as the rest of the rescue party emerged from the woods. They came to meet us, fussing over the Son of Adam we had gone to such length to rescue and congratulating me on my plan.

"You should go to the infirmary, get that shoulder tended to," Oreius suggested, smiling slightly.

"I'll come with you," Storm added.

I shook my head, "No, you should get some rest. Go back to the tent, I'll be fine."

Storm looked reluctant but stayed put as I walked away to the large tent that was the infirmary.


	11. Chapter 9: Nursing Wounds

Author's Note: Thanks to TheLostHeroinesOfOlympus for your great advice, it was very helpful. I am dedicating my newest character, Karyia the water nymph, to you.

Anybody else with advice or ideas, especially any new Narnian characters you would like me to add into the story, should write to me. I promise I will take any advice into consideration.

Otherwise, there is the usual: seven reviews and there will be a new chapter tomorrow, if I don't get seven reviews then the next chapter will come up next Saturday, check out my profile and my poll.

Here is the next chapter: Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9: Nursing Wounds

The infirmary was completely empty. There were no patients in any of the two rows of cots on each side of the tent. A long table ran down the center of the tent, in between the cots, and was neatly stacked with anything a healer might need: bandages, needles, water, herbs and various salves and medicines. The only form of the life in the tent was a water nymph, who rushed over to help me as soon as she spotted me.

To anyone who hadn't lived in Narnia their whole life, the nymph would have looked like a human. She had a willowy figure and incredibly pale skin, paler than my already very light skin tone, which held a slight greenish tinge to it when I looked closely enough. Her hair was a muddy brown and hung perfectly straight down to ankles but had bits of dark green seaweed braided into it and her eyes were a dark green, the same color as the seaweed in her hair. She wore a loose green dress which didn't quite reach to the floor and showed her bare feet (pic. on profile). Her fingers, as with those of all nymphs, were webbed and her fingernails looked like small, green scales, as did her toenails. When she walked towards me her feet left wet marks in the grass, even though she was completely dry.

"Please, sit," she suggested, her voice sounding like a running brook, gentle and flowing.

I obeyed, taking the double sword off my back and laid it on the grass by the cot. The nymph gently peeled the ripped and bloodied fabric of my dress away from my shoulder and probed the long, deep scratches at my shoulder with her cool fingers. I hissed in pain.

"What happened? I heard Oreius went to rescue the Son of Adam along with a few others, were you with them?" she asked gently.

I nodded, "I went with Oreius to rescue Edmund, and I got scratched up by a harpy when we were leaving. I'm Rayna, by the way."

"Karyia," she mumbled her name, with no other introductions. "Harpies have venomous claws and fangs, the poison will have to be removed from your shoulder or it will fester. This will hurt."

She took what she needed from the long table in the center of the tent and began to clean off my shoulder, first wiping away the blood to expose the scratches and then beginning the long and rather painful process of extracting the harpy venom from the long deep scratches on my shoulder.

* * *

I was still there two hours later, wincing in pain every few seconds. The sun had risen by now and I knew that the nymph, Karyia, was almost finished with my shoulder. Though the wound was still stinging, most of the venom was gone and I no longer cried out in pain every time she applied a rather smelly concoction to it. With a final jab at the wound, which caused me to utter a cry of pain, the nymph began wrapping my wound in clean bandages.

"That should do the trick. The wound is clean and should heal soon," Karyia trilled, "It may scar, though. Those were some pretty deep scratches."

The flap of the tent moved to reveal Lucy standing there, smiling at me. She looked a little anxious when she saw the thick bandages being placed around my shoulder, but looked up brightly and grabbed the small diamond bottle full of red liquid hanging at her waist.

"Here, let me heal you," she offered.

"What… is that fireflower juice?" I realized.

Lucy nodded and uncapped the bottle. I sat up and allowed her to pour a single drop of the liquid into my mouth. There was a fiery feeling all over my body, warming me all through my body. It died down everywhere, except on my shoulder, where it got fiercer until it was almost burning. The feeling grew smaller, fading as my skin knit itself back together.

I peeled off the bandages which had already been applied to my shoulder, and felt my shoulder. The skin was as smooth as ever, with nothing to indicate that I had ever been wounded.

"Thank you," I smiled at her.

"You saved our brother, we owe you," Lucy shrugged, "We were about to have breakfast, do you want to come with us?"

I grabbed my sword and began to head out of the large infirmary tent, answering Lucy at the same time, "I would be honored, but I need to change first." I gestured to my bloodstained dress, which was missing a sleeve where Karyia had ripped it to check my wound.

"Of course," Lucy responded, "Mind if I come with you?"

I nodded and exited the tent into the bright light of day. The tent which had been assigned to me was not far off. Storm lay curled up outside the tent, fast asleep. I didn't wake him, realizing he was probably tired after the events of last night.

Lucy followed me inside, looking around the small space curiously. I opened the wardrobe, looking through the white dresses and trying to decide which to wear. Without a word, Lucy stepped in front of me and casually picked out a dress.

"Wear this one," she ordered, "It's the nicest."

I slipped out of the dress I had been wearing so far and into the new one. It was beautiful, and I had to admire Lucy's taste. It was a V-neck, sleeveless, floor-length dress. The bodice was embroidered and beaded with flowers. The skirt was full-length with a court train and in two layers. The first layer was simple ivory satin, the same material as the bodice and the second layer was white organza, wrapped around the first layer and tied on one side to reveal the first layer (pic on profile).

Once I was done I put my sandals back on and rapidly fixed my hair in its usual style. I slung my weapon onto my back, realizing how much not having the silver dagger I had threatened Ginabrik with. I had hated it, true, but it seemed strange not to have it with me and turned to Lucy.

"Let's go. I'm sure your brothers and sister will be waiting for us."

"You look nice," Lucy remarqued before exiting the tent.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, I really didn't have much time today. 7 reviews by tommorow and I will write a new chapter and get it published by Sunday evening. If I don't get seven reviews by then, but get them by Wednesday, then I will update then.

REVIEW!

HecatetheDarkWitch


	12. Chapter 10: Dark Tidings on a Sunny Day

Author's notes: Review! If I get seven reviews then I will publish a new chapter, no matter what day it is. A new chapter will NOT be put up on Saturday if I don't get that many reviews.

I would also love to get some new ideas or advice, especially if you have any ideas for new characters. Please write to me and I will try to incorporate any new ideas or characters into the story.

Other than that, please check out my profile.

* * *

Chapter 10: Dark Tidings on a Sunny Day

The three children were waiting for us when we came. Edmund was the only one who didn't look up at our arrival, as he was fervently attacking the toast on his plate.

Lucy laughed, "Narnia's not going to run out of toast, Ed."

This caused everyone to laugh, including me. Lucy sat at the small table and I joined her, taking some toast for myself.

"How's your shoulder?" Edmund asked. "It looked pretty bad last night."

"Its fine thanks to Lucy," I assured him.

Susan glanced worriedly at me, "You were wounded? How?"

I shrugged, "It was nothing, really. Just a scratch."

"That's not what Edmund said," Peter said.

"And what did he say?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

Edmund didn't let his siblings speak for him this time, "I was just telling them what happened last night. It was pretty amazing, you know."

"Is it true you can use magic?" Susan wondered.

I nodded, "I've always been able to."

"Wicked," Lucy grinned.

We sat in silence for a while, silently eating our breakfast and enjoying each others company. It was Edmund that broke the contented silence. With the expression of someone who just remembered something important, he reached for his neck, taking the chain which hung under his shirt off and handing it to me.

"I should give this back to you," he said.

I smiled and clasped it around my neck, ignoring the other children's puzzled looks.

"You gave Ed a necklace?" Peter asked.

"Someone's jealous," I teased him. "It has a protection charm on it. I gave it to Edmund in case the witch tried anything."

"Oh."

"These are good," Lucy remarked, munching on a pastry. I had a feeling she was changing the subject, trying to avoid making Peter feel awkward, "What are they?"

"It's a typical Narnian recipe: fruit stewed in spice wine and then baked into pastry shells. It's one of my favorites," I explained, taking one of the pastries for myself.

Peter, who was leaning against a rock wall a little way away, spoke, "I'm sure they'll pack some for the journey back."

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked incredulously, at the same time as Susan asked, "We're leaving?"

"You are," Peter sounded like he had been thinking this over all night. "I promised Mum I'd keep you three safe, but that doesn't mean I can't stay behind and help."

"But they need us, all four of us!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Lucy's right, Peter, there are four thrones at Cair Paravel, and for the prophecy to come true, they all need to be filled." I sighed, "Look, I can't ask you to put your family in danger, but think about this carefully before you go. You may be condemning all of Narnia."

"It's too dangerous! You almost drowned, Lucy, and Edmund was almost killed!" Peter sounded absolutely certain.

"Which is why we have to stay," Edmund mumbled, "I've seen what the White Witch can do, and I've helped her do it. And we can't leave these people behind to suffer for it."

Edmund sounded ashamed, admitting what he had done, but I had to admire him for trying to make things right. Lucy reached for her brother's hand comfortingly and I could see Susan and Peter exchange looks.

Susan didn't give her older brother a chance to say anything. "I suppose that's it then," she sighed, standing up and walking over to where her bow and quiver full of arrows lay in the grass.

"Where are you going?"

She smiled, "To get in some practice."

"This should be fun to watch," I laughed, "But unfortunately I have to train you two to fight," I looked at Edmund and Peter like it was some horrible chore I had to do, but they could tell I was joking.

"You're teaching us?" Peter sounded surprised, "Since when?"

"Aslan asked me to make sure you knew how to fight when we talked right after we got here."

"Anything else we need to know?" Lucy joked.

I smiled, got up and motioned to the boys to follow me to the training field. Lucy trotted after us but soon walked away to join Susan at the archery targets.

* * *

I helped Edmund find a sword and shield out of the armory tent at the edge of the field, then walked them out onto the middle of the flat green land and quickly showed Edmund what I had taught Peter, having the two duel while I corrected their strokes and posture, showing them how to make their strokes stronger and more precise. Once I pronounced their swordfighting adequate for now, the two sunk into the grass, panting and soaked in sweat.

"Come on," I urged them, "That wasn't that hard."

"Maybe not for you, Rayna," Peter panted, "but we're just starting."

"Maybe you're right; you should take a short break. I'll be back soon," I called as I walked off the field.

Storm joined me a little while after, protesting that I should have woken him up. "You didn't get any sleep last night, Storm. I wasn't going to make you lose some more. Besides, you get grumpy when you're tired."

"I do not," Storm did his best to sound outraged. "So, where are you going?"

"I need to find mounts for the two humans lying sprawled on the practice field," I explained.

Storm snorted at that, "You should ask Phillip. He was complaining about how he didn't get enough action at camp."

Phillip, a copper stallion, was easy to find, and I knew that he would be a good mount for Edmund. I quickly found another horse, this time a white unicorn named Tanwen, for Peter. Oreius also joined us, so there were five of us by the time we got back to the boys.

They sat up when they saw us coming, surprised that two saddled horses were following behind me.

"I don't suppose you've ever ridden a horse before?" I asked.

Both of the boys shook their heads. The next hour was spent teaching Peter and Edmund to ride a horse. Peter seemed slightly more comfortable on Tanwen, and kept shouting directions at Edmund, who seemed incredibly insecure on Phillip.

Once the two boys could actually stay on horseback and ride decently, we split the humans up to teach them to fight on horseback. Oreius took Edmund and I took Peter, mounting Storm and showing the 16-year-old boy how to fight on horseback. He had a little trouble with this at first, mostly relying on the white unicorn he was riding to move out of the way when I attacked.

Once he got the hang of it, though, he began to attack with more confidence. I saw Edmund making similar progress with Phillip. Oreius and I exchanged looks, stepping back to let the two attempt to fight each other.

It was nice to watch them, I thought. They weren't very graceful in their movements, but I could see that they had potential and would definitely grow to become good fighters. They laughed and joked, encouraging each other as they fought. The way they fought, it seemed like a carefree game, but I knew that they would have to fight real battles soon.

I dismounted from Storm's back and sat down where I could see and hear both Peter and Edmund and their two sisters, who were at the archery targets not far off.

"Come on Ed, sword point up, like Oreius showed you!" Peter encouraged his brother.

They exchanged a few strokes, Peter continuing to yell directions at his brother, with Edmund laughing retorting at every one of Peter's comments.

"Edmund!" Beaver's loud call made the copper horse Edmund was sitting on rear.

Edmund gripped the reins, shouting, "Whoa, horsey!"

"My name is Phillip," the horse stated, sounding annoyed.

I couldn't help but snort at Edmund's expression and bashful, "Sorry."

"The Witch has demanded a meeting with Aslan," Beaver stated urgently, "She's on her way here."

"She's coming here?" I exclaimed, springing up from the grass and running over to join them, Storm right behind me.

"What does she want?" Peter asked softly. It seemed like he was almost afraid to hear the answer.

I knew exactly why she'd come, I'd known she would try and claim her right to Edmund's blood. Aslan had known, too. He had even told the children this might be hard, when we arrived.

"I think I know, and it's not good. Not good at all," I answered darkly, glancing at Edmund, "We should go."

* * *

Susan and Lucy had run over to where we had gathered, looking even more worried than the two boys. I ignored their desperate attempts to get me to tell them exactly what the witch wanted as I marched rapidly all the way to the main part of the camp, stopping not too far from Aslan's red and gold tent. A crowd was rapidly gathering there, awaiting the arrival of the witch.

I was afraid, I had to admit. This would be the first time I would see my mother since I left her palace forever. She would know I was not faithful to her. Even if she had not known before the raid that I had helped the Four to reach Aslan, she would know now that I had attacked Ginabrik last night.

In the distance, I saw a small party moving and I heard the familiar harsh voice of Ginabrik, announcing my mother's arrival.


	13. Chapter 11: Secrets and Sacrifices

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews. 10 more reviews and I will publish a new chapter. Please write to me if you have any ideas, especially for new characters. Check out my profile and answer my poll too.

To Ella Unlimited: I will definitely put at least one of your characters into my story, but it won't be for a few chapters. Until then, thank you for your idea.

Happy Reading!

HecatetheDarkWitch

Chapter 11: Secrets and Sacrifice

The witch entered the camp in her usual grand manner, making sure she had everyone's attention. She sat on an ebony chair, supported by four burly cyclops in full armor and with the dwarf Ginabrik walking in front, calling to the crowds. The witch herself hadn't changed much: she wore a heavy dress with full skirts and her hair was pulled back severely into a high bun on the top of her head.

Once she arrived in front of Aslan, the cyclops lowered her chair to the gound. She stood up, walking slowly and regally towards Aslan, glancing around her with an air of superiority – which I had seen so often it has ceased to be impressive – and her eyes met mine. If there was ever a time that I was terrified of her, it was then. She then glanced at the four humans standing next to me, probably evaluating how much danger they could really be, I decided.

It was only once she had made sure that she had everyone's full attention that she spoke.

"You have traitors in your midst, Aslan," she stated simply, and yet those words carried a death sentence: the final conformation of what I knew she would ask.

I did not miss her plural, however, and I doubted anybody else did too. Of course, I realized, she believed I had betrayed her. I knew I had not committed treachery, as my allegiance had never been with my mother, and I had done nothing to harm any Narnians.

"His offense was not against you," Aslan stated calmly, choosing to ignore the plural in her words.

"But hers was," the Witch argued.

There were gasps and whispers all through the Narnian army, everyone wondering who could be the other traitor. Even Peter, Susan and Lucy glanced around nervously. Edmund, however, didn't. He looked straight at me, remembering the time he had seen me talking to the witch in her palace. I met his stare evenly.

But my mother wasn't done yet, she was determined to make sure to make an effect. She turned to me, "Isn't that right, _Silver Dagger_?" She deliberately spoke my title.

Something flashed in the air and, with a dull thud, my dagger dug itself into the ground in front of me. I realized leaving it at the witch's camp was probably not the best idea. Every single Narnian in the camp had turned towards me, shock, fear and something else, hate, was etched into their faces. At my side, Storm was completely tense. I mentally begged him not to do anything rash.

I stepped forward and decided that whatever others thought of me, I would not let my mother win this fight.

"I did not betray you, _mother_," I revealed the final part of my secret, not giving her a chance to say it, "I never followed you, never served you. When is the last time I told you anything useful? I knew much more information than I ever told you, I knew the moment the humans entered Narnia, but I never told you, and I knew that Aslan was assembling an army for weeks before you found out about it. I never told you anything and I never brought home a single prisoner, because you were never my mistress, or my queen!"

I finished my speech and my mother looked taken aback at my defiance, but recovered herself eerily fast.

Turning back to Aslan, she spoke once more, "Nevertheless, the boy is mine, or have you forgotten the laws on which Narnia was built?"

"Do not cite the Deep Magic to me witch, I was there when it was written," Aslan growled.

"Then you'll remember well that every traitor belongs to me. His blood is my property."

Peter drew his sword, pointing it at the witch, "Try and take him then."

I knew that Peter was fiercely protective of his family and so his actions didn't surprise me. It was still very stupid and pointless, because the witch was right: Edmund was hers, but I had to admire him for it though.

The witch laughed slightly, "Do you really think that mere force will deny me my right…little king?" Aslan knows that unless I have blood as the law demands," she turned to the crowd, "all of Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water. That boy," she pointed at Edmund, "will die, on the Stone Table, as is tradition. You dare not refuse me."

Edmund and Peter were exchanging worried looks, and their sisters looked as if they just wanted to cry. I would have cried, but I had resigned myself to the fact that this would happen long ago, there was no other way.

Aslan silenced the whispers running through the assembled creatures, "Enough, I shall talk with you alone."

I looked down as soon as they had gone, my boldness spent. Now that my secret was out, I did not know what to do. I would no longer be accepted in camp, especially not if the witch took Edmund to the Stone Table and killed him. My dagger was still buried in the grass at my feet and I stared at it, not knowing what else to do.

The soldiers were talking wildly amongst themselves, glancing around at Edmund, at Aslan's tent and at me. Storm nudged my shoulder comfortingly, but I could feel that he was as tense as I was. I ran my hand through his white feathers, feeling comforted by his very presence.

The four children were looking over at me now, studying me, I guessed. I was about to walk away, maybe to go back to my tent and wait until things boiled over, but Storm had other ideas. He pushed me with his huge head until I was just in front of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.

"You're going to have to face them sometime," he urged me.

Peter was the first to speak, "You knew she was coming for Edmund," he reproached me. It wasn't a question.

"I have studied magic for many years," I stated, "I know much about the Deep Magic."

Lucy looked up at me, hurt. "Why didn't you tell us?"

I looked at her without hesitation, "Because it would have made no difference."

"If you'd just warned us, Aslan could have done something; Edmund could have hid somewhere…" Lucy cried.

"Aslan already knew, Lucy," I began more gently, "Didn't you hear him when we first got here? He said that this might be harder than you thought. There is no thwarting the Deep Magic, it is the fundamental law of Narnia. Unless Aslan convinces the Witch..."

"You mean you mother," Susan cut in. I gave her a look which clearly told her to shut up.

"Unless Aslan convinces her to release her claim on Edmund," I continued, "There is nothing anyone can do."

"How can you say that?" Susan burst out. "You talk about your witch of a mother killing our brother like it's nothing, but…!"

Edmund moved between his sister and I, "Stop it! This isn't helping anything! We can't blame her for what the witch has done, she helped us all. Do you really think she'd have let you reach the camp if she was on the witch's side, or helped me escape from her?"

His sister looked down awkwardly, feeling ashamed at her younger brother's rebuke. I turned around, intending to go back to my tent and wait until things boiled over, but before I could get even a few steps away, I felt a hand grab my arm. I turned to see Peter.

"Wait," he seemed to hesitate a minute, "What do you think they are talking about in there?" He gestured towards Aslan's tent.

"I don't know. But the false queen won't give up without a fight, I can tell you that."

I turned and walked away. I had lied to Peter, but I couldn't bear to tell him the truth. I walked all the way up to the top of the small hill which showed a view of Narnia and, far in the distance, Cair Paravel. I had come here often when it was still full winter, always watching for a sign of… something, I never knew what. Storm had always been with me then, but he had slipped away when I was talking to the Four, sensing I would need some time alone.

I sat down in the ground and broke into sobs. The revelation of my secret, along with seeing my mother again, Susan's accusations, and the knowledge of what would happen because of Edmund's treachery were just too much for me. My mother would not leave until she had Edmund, the only thing that would stop her from taking Edmund was the sacrifice of someone more important: Aslan himself. And I knew Aslan would pay that price. Faintly, I remembered something I had seen in an old dusty book I had found in the deepest corner of the library at the icy castle I had grown up in. There was something in it, I remembered, about the Deep Magic and the sacrifice of an innocent, but I could not recall exactly what it was.

I watched the camp from the hilltop, waiting for Aslan and the Witch to emerge from the huge red and gold tent. As soon as that happened, I would be flying down to the camp to hear the news I knew would come.

It was a long time until anything interesting happened, but as soon as I saw the rustle of the edge of the tent flap, I called on air to lift me down to the crowd below. I landed near the Pevensies, waiting as anxiously as they were for Aslan to speak, because either way the news would not be good.

"She has renounced her claim on the Son of Adam's blood," Aslan proclaimed.

There were cries of joy and relief, clapping and I saw that Edmund had been engulfed in a hug by all three of his siblings.

"How do I know your promise will be kept?" The Witch's words silenced the crowd.

Aslan's answering roar was deafening, causing all of the Narnians to start cheering again, and the witch to sit suddenly back down in her chair. As the four cyclops lifted her seat up, she looked back at me with pure venom in her eyes.

"As for you, little princess, you will pay for helping the enemy," she spat, drawing her wand.

I stood my ground as a flash of blue light streamed from its tip. My pendant emitted a silvery light, enveloping me and, as my mother's magic reached me, absorbing the blue glowing magic until it was no more. All of this happened in a second, so that when the light faded some of the Narnians were still turning towards the source of the commotion, wondering what was happening.

The Witch looked furious as she was carried away by the one-eyed monsters, and the Narnians' cheering and laughing resumed. Only Aslan looked sad. I could tell that little Lucy had noticed it as well as I, because her joyous face became sad.

"Did you hear, Rayna?" Peter, spoke. "Aslan managed to get the Witch to leave Edmund."

I looked down, "But at what price?" I whispered darkly. Aslan's death would be tragic for all of his followers.


	14. Chapter 12: Death of the Lion

Author's note: 8 reviews for the next chapter, though I will not be able to publish anything between the 24th of December and the 2nd of January. Please write if you have any ideas for the story especially for new characters. Other than that, check out my profile, answer my poll and REVIEW!

I saw the Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie this week, and I have to say it was awesome, though not very true to the book. I can't wait for the next Narnia movie to come out; the Silver Chair has always been one of my favorites.

Chapter 12: Death of the Lion  


Once the happy celebration of the witch's departure had ebbed away and my feeling of mourning for what I knew must come had turned to a determined resignation, we went back to training on the feel.

I drilled the boys harder than ever, making sure that they could fight as well as anyone could. Storm reared, jumped and dodged and I on his back swung with my sword. I began to struggle to win as Peter, with whom I was fighting, became more and more confident in his blows. He was a natural sword fighter, unlike me, who was not a very good sword fighter and mostly used magic for combat.

It was only once I was consistently losing to Peter that I started using magic to win the fights. Peter was taken aback at the sudden blast of wind which flew from my hands and fell into the grass. I dismounted from Storm's back and helped him up.

"That's cheating!" Peter exclaimed, smiling.

I was serious when I responded, "You can be certain that the witch won't hesitate to use magic to beat you. This isn't a game, Peter, and in a war you have to use whatever you have to win. I'm just trying to make sure you don't get killed when battle comes."

Peter stood and looked thoughtful for a while, then asked something I had not expected, "Can you turn people to stone?"

"Yes, I could if I wanted to, but I have never actually done it." Stones were part of the earth, turning people to stone was just earth magic.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be like my mother," I answered simply. After a while I suggested, "Come, we've done enough training for today, walk with me."

Peter bowed and held out his arm teasingly, "Shall we, my lady?"

I laughed and curtsied, "Of course, your highness," I took his arm.

We strolled in silence, holding hands and enjoying the sunshine. It was only when we reached the spot near the stream where Maugrim had died that Peter broke the silence.

"You seemed tense this afternoon," Peter commented.

"I'm worried."

"What about?" This was the question I had hoped I wouldn't have to answer, but I felt tired of lying. I looked into Peter's blue eyes and decided I would not lie anymore.

I sighed, "I can't tell you Peter, I'm sorry."

I sat down in the grass near the stream and loosened the straps which held my sandals onto my feet and removed the shoes, dipping my bare toes into the cool water. Peter joined me but kept his boots on.

"I love this, the spring I mean. I never saw it before I met you, you know. There was always snow and ice. I remember, I used to try and recreate spring in my room, when my mother wasn't home. I'd grow so many plants you couldn't see anything that wasn't green and tried to make it warm, but it wasn't like this at all."

Peter smiled slightly at the story, "Back in England, that's the country where we live in our world, we saw spring all the time, and summer, and autumn and winter too."

"I suppose I'll see all those things soon enough, now that the seasons have taken their course again," I hesitated for a while before letting my curiosity get the better of me, "What was your world like?"

Peter began describing all sorts of things to me. His world was very different from Narnia and I listened in wonder as he told me about things called cars, airplanes, radios, telephones and all sorts of other things. Finally he told me about the war in his world and about his father, who was fighting in it. The sun was setting by the time he ran out of things to say.

Slowly, we walked back to camp, laughing, talking and holding hands. My dread of what would happen tonight had been buried deep in my mind and I only remembered when we arrived back at my tent.

"I had fun today," Peter told me.

I smiled, "Me too."

"I will see you tomorrow, Rayna." Peter did something I had not expected then. He brought my hand to his lips and held it there for a second then, as if ashamed, he turned and walked quickly away.

"Looks like you've found yourself a handsome prince," Storm joked, appearing from the shadows around the tent.

"He's a king, Storm," I corrected, "and besides even if he did like me, which he doesn't, there is no way we could be together."

I lifted the flap of the tent and walked in, going straight to my bed and pulling the covers over my body. Try as I might, I couldn't get to sleep. With the happiness of my afternoon with Peter faded away, I remembered about Aslan's sacrifice, which I knew would come.

After a while, I threw off the covers and got up. I didn't even bother to put my shoes on before slipping out of the tent and running straight towards the giant tent which belonged to Aslan. I peeked through the gap in the curtains which blocked the entrance to the tent. The huge lion was lying on the floor of the tent, curled up with his huge head on his paws.

"Come in, Rayna," he acknowledged my presence.

I ran in and burst out, "Please, don't go! There's no chance for us if you die!"

Aslan stood up and faced me, "And there is less chance if Edmund is taken by the witch. Death isn't the end, dear one, you should know this."

"Of course!" the memory which had been tugging at my mind all afternoon finally came to me. "If an innocent is sacrificed in the place of a traitor then… Why didn't I realize before?"

"You should prepare for battle. Jadis won't wait long to attack." Aslan padded out of the tent and I followed, "Goodbye, Rayna."

I watched until he disappeared into the woods, then I turned and raced back to my tent, waking Storm as I passed the spot where he slept. He was grumpy at being awakened, but quickly realized exactly what tonight was. Once I relayed Aslan's parting words, the ice dragon got up and went to find himself some armor.

I entered my tent and, after some searching, found a set of armor tucked into the back of my wardrobe. I slipped it on and found that it fit perfectly. The armor consisted of a golden breastplate worn over a simple white dress with long sleeves slit all the way up to my shoulders and a skirt which barely reached the ground and was covered with a layer of gold net (pic on profile). I laced on my white boots, finding them more practical than sandals for battle, and braided my hair down my back, out of my face (pic on profile). My sword was strapped across my back, as usual.

Once I was ready, I found that I did not know what to do. I felt sure that a messenger would come once Aslan was dead. Storm poked his head and long neck into my small tent, and I saw that he too had found some armor. It was golden, like mine, and covered his head, neck, back, stomach and tail, but left his wings and legs free to move about. We talked for awhile, though about what I seemed to forget just seconds after I had said it.

It was only about an hour before sunrise that the news came. Oreius dashed into the tent, "You should come and see this."

I rose from my seat on the bed and, along with Storm, followed the centaur to Aslan's tent. Edmund and Silver, a dryad I recognized as the one that guarded the almond tree just outside of camp were there, gathered around a small table on which was spread out a map of Narnia. Silver's body, made entirely of almond blossoms, swayed in the breeze.

"Aslan is dead on the Stone Table, killed by the White Witch," Silver's voice sounded like wind chimes when she spoke her message. Then the petals which made up her body scattered and she disappeared.

I looked at Edmund and when he spoke he sounded sad, as if he had realized that this was his entire fault, "Susan and Lucy are with him. They sent a message."

Peter burst out of the tent then. "She's right," Peter issued the final verdict, "he's gone."

There was a moment of silence as we all mourned Aslan and as we realized exactly what his death meant. What would happen to us now that we no longer had someone to lead our army? I knew that it was Peter, with his brother's help, that would triumph over the Witch.

"Then you'll have to lead us," Edmund concluded before I had a chance to speak. At his brother's doubtful expression, he continued, "Peter, there's an army out there, and it's ready to follow you."

Peter shook his head, "I can't!"

"Why not?" I intervened, "Without a leader, we can't go to battle. You're a leader, Peter. I've seen you on the battle field, you're a natural and you'll do anything to protect what you care about. I can see that and I've only known you for two days. Narnia is my family, Peter, and you're its king, it should be your family too. I believe you can do it, _my king_." I emphasized his title.

"Aslan believed you could do it," Edmund put in his support for his brother, "and so do I."

"There is still hope," I remembered that Aslan might come back, "but only if you lead us."

Peter's blue eyes met mine and we stared at each other for a moment. Peter looked doubtful I was confident that he would lead the army and save Narnia. He seemed to see this in my icy blue eyes and he got a look of determination.

"The Witch's armies are nearing, sire," Oreius' words broke our gaze. "What are your orders?"

The army was ready within an hour, with everyone armed and in ranks. Peter was in the front of the army, with Oreius at one side of him and a griffin, Huntcaster, discussing battle strategy. Edmund joined them, though he was on foot, ready to join the archers. I was mounted on Storm, though I would not be joining the battle. Now that I knew that Peter would march the army, I decided that I had to find Susan and Lucy. After that, I would go to my mother's palace and try to turn all of the statues in the palace back into living creatures. Aslan would come to help us in his own time.

"Peter!" Storm trotted to the Son of Adam's side when I called out to him. "Before you go, I have just one piece of advice."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Edmund asked.

I shook my head, "No, I have my own things to do, but I think you need to hear this. Magic is very powerful, but it has its limits, different ones for every magic user. I can only use the elements to do magic, but my mother has to use her wand, she can't do magic without it. Think about that when you fight her."

With that, Storm took off in the direction of the Stone Table. "Are you sure about this? Maybe we should make sure the others are safe," Storm mused.

"This is war, we can't keep them safe anymore. I feel like I need to do this."

Storm soared on without another word, landing just feet away from the Stone Table, where Susan and Lucy had fallen asleep holding each other and clutching Aslan's body.


	15. Chapter 13: Return Home

Author's note: I would like to dedicate the character of Saria to Clarissa Avila, who gave me the idea for this character. 8 reviews and I will publish one new chapter, though I won't be able to publish anything before the 3rd at least, if not the 5th. Please write if you have any suggestions for the story, especially for new characters. Merry Christmas everyone!

Chapter 13: Return Home

I slid off my best friend's back and went over to the Stone Table. Gently, I placed my hand on Lucy's shoulder and shook it slightly; just enough to get her to open her eyes and sit up. Susan woke too when she felt her younger sister's movement.

"We should go," Susan told her sister gently.

I nodded in agreement, "Your message got through. The army marched at sunrise, headed to the Great Plains, on the other side of the river, to meet the Witch's army. Peter is leading it."

Lucy looked down, stroking Aslan's face, "I'm so cold."

Susan slid off the Stone table and helped her sister down, wrapping her arms comfortingly across the other girl's shoulders.

"I know a way to help the army, but we need to go a long way, come on, we should hurry."

They followed me silently down the steps which led to the edge of the woods, where Stormracer waited, ready to take us to the Witch's castle, to try and free the creatures trapped in stone. I was almost sure I could do it, and Peter would need reinforcements. We looked back briefly at the body of the lion, and I prayed that the Deep Magic would take action soon so that Aslan could help us.

We turned away, taking a few more steps down the stairs, before the ground shook. The two Daughters of Eve fell on their knees and I just barely managed to stay on my feet, digging them into the stone magically so that I would not fall. I turned to see the Stone Table cracked down the middle… and Aslan's body gone.

"Susan!" Lucy cried out, gazing in wonder at the cracked slabs of stone which had made up the Stone Table.

They turned and walked slowly back to the table, though I stayed rooted in place, knowing exactly what had happened. Storm bounded up the steps to the spot where I stood.

"Where's Aslan?" Lucy had reached the Table.

"What've they done?" Susan wondered.

I answered her solemnly, "The Deep Magic has been fulfilled, Aslan is…"

There was a bright golden light as the sun shone exactly between the two pillars facing the table and a great shadow appeared in front of the sun, revealing Aslan, in all his former glory, golden and bright and regal.

"ASLAN!" the two girls ran to hug the lion. He let out a deep laugh.

Susan released her hold on the Aslan's massive neck and faced him in amazement, "But we saw the knife, the witch!"

"If the Witch knew the true meaning of sacrifice, as your friend Rayna did, then she might have interpreted the Deep Magic differently," Aslan explained, "that when a willing victim who has committed no treachery is killed in a traitor's stand, the Stone Table will crack and even death itself would turn backwards."

Lucy looked at me, standing a little way away, my fingers running through the feathers at Storm's shoulder, "you knew all about this then?"

"I know a lot of things that you don't Lucy," I laughed, "but if you ever need to know them, then I will tell you."

"We sent the news that you were dead. Peter and Edmund have gone to war," Susan realized.

Lucy drew her dagger, "We have to help them!"

Aslan stretched out his paw and gently lowered Lucy's dagger. "We will, dear one, but not alone. Climb on my back, I believe Rayna has already told you that we have far to go and little time to get there. You may want to cover your ears," he added before loosing an ear-splitting roar.

I jumped back onto Storm's back and he raced off at full speed, not bothering to fly but just running alongside Aslan with his wings tucked at his side. They matched each other perfectly in speed and we ran through Narnia faster than I had hoped. It took almost no time until we were almost at the icy castle I had once called home.

"Where are we going?" Susan wondered as we raced into a patch of trees.

"Home," I answered simply. She looked puzzled at what this meant until she saw the palace, glittering in the sun.

"Oh."

Aslan prevented her from saying anything else, "Hang on!" he called to the girls.

When we reached the gates of the castle, they did not open themselves as they usually did, but stayed shut. I was not surprised by this. The Witch often locked the gates when she left. I placed my hand in the center of the two doors and sent as much light energy as I could at the door, which glowed for a moment and then opened at my touch.

Lucy was the first to enter the courtyard of the castle, closely followed by Susan and I. Storm was breathing heavily from the long run and stayed at the door along with Aslan, who let the girls take in the courtyard before moving.

Lucy and Susan looked sadly at all the statues dotting the area, stopping in front of a faun which was bent over on the ground, leaning on one hand. They looked around at the eerie forms and Lucy gasped when she saw the figure of Mr. Tumnus, his mouth opened in a silent cry. Slowly, as if in a daze, she walked towards him. Her sister followed right behind her, a mournful expression on her face. Lucy burst into tears once she came to face the faun and her sister pulled her close. I also paced forward, gazing up sadly at the stone Tumnus. Awkwardly, I placed my hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Aslan, who had been standing watching us for the past few minutes, padded forward and, to my great surprise, breathed on Mr. Tumnus. The stone hair rustled as if it was no longer stone and Lucy's tearful face became puzzled. Slowly, as we watched, the grey stone face paled and became skin. His scarf, which had been flying as if in an invisible breeze, flopped down limply and became bright red again and slowly, the rest of his body turned back to skin and his legs became real fur once more. He let out a surprised cry and fell forward, only to be caught by Lucy and I. Lucy and Tumnus looked at each other and both started laughing.

"Susan," Lucy called to her sister, who ran forward and hugged the faun.

"This is Mr. Tumnus," Susan concluded.

Aslan interrupted the happy reunion, "Come, we must hurry and search the castle. Peter will need everyone we can find."

The courtyard was now bustling with life. Every single statue had become a living creature. Leopards, funs, satyrs, griffins, centaurs and every other kind of beast imaginable were there.

"Most of them are in the dungeons," I told the crowd, "though I'd be careful when you go down there. It's a real maze. There are others in the library, in my moth – I mean in the Witch's room and one in my room."

The Narnians quickly rushed off to find every statue in the castle, and I rushed in too. I raced up the main stairs, past the throne and though the small door which led up to my tower room. Susan and Lucy followed me up, though I had no idea why.

My room was just as I had left it, with the dress I had been wearing the day the Four stumbled into Narnia lying on the floor, magic books everywhere and jewelry lying in a disorganized mess on my vanity. I ignored this however and went to the single window of the room. On the windowsill was perched a small bird, a blue jay, made entirely out of stone.

The blue jay, named Saria, had been my friend for a while, bringing me news of what was happening in Narnia until my mother had turned her to stone. I had kept the bird here because I did not wish for the Witch to have her and because she had always liked the view of Narnia from this window.

Gently, I picked the small bird in one hand and focused. I knew that to turn her back to a living feathery mass, I needed to transfer the earth energy which made her stone out of her body and channel it somewhere else. I focused and could feel the earth distinctly, so I focused and pulled it out of the bird and let it flow into the floor, manifesting itself as a bunch of irises, bright and sweet-smelling. In my hand Saria moved and fluttered her wings, chirping happily. Her feathers were once more bright blue instead of dull gray (pic. of Saria on profile). She flew out of the window and down into the courtyard, probably to talk to Storm, I decided.

"How do you do that?" Lucy gasped amazed.

"Magic, of course."

Susan was flipping through a rather big magic book which I had left lying open on my bed. There were quite a few books scattered around the room, all big grimoires full of spells, rituals and incantations.

"You seem to like reading," she commented.

I nodded, "I find it fascinating. The only thing I'll really miss about this place is the library. I used to spend whole hours in there flipping through spellbooks. Come on, we should go help the others."

In about half an hour every single statue in the place had been found and turned back to living creatures. Once everyone was gathered out in the courtyard, which was much more crowded than it had been when we came, Aslan led us out of the courtyard, headed for the Great Plains.

This time, Storm flew above the gathering of creatures instead of running alongside them. The pace was much slower than before, as only the giant Wimbleweather and the very fastest of the griffins and great cats would even have had a chance of keeping up if Aslan had been leading us at the same speed by which we came. Saria flew around Storm's head, twittering rapidly and causing the dragon to growl in annoyance.

After a while flying, Storm landed near where Susan, Lucy and Tumnus were talking joyfully. I think he just wanted to get away from Saria for a while, but it gave me an opportunity to speak to them.

"…and then after Peter killed Maugrim they made him a knight! Rayna and Oreius managed to rescue Edmund, and we were just so relieved that he was alright. Rayna was injured, of course, but she's fine now. I think she's very brave," Lucy prattled on, telling Mr. Tumnus everything that had happened since she had last seen him.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I interrupted her.

Susan laughed, "I'd be careful, Lucy. You don't want to make her vain."

This caused all of us to laugh. I jumped off Storm's back and he flew off, flying way ahead and then circling back and landing beside us. After we had all relayed the story to Tumnus, he was silent for a few moments before turning to me.

"So you're a witch," he stated.

Storm answered for me, "Of course she is, and a brilliant one too."

"I don't like the term witch, though," I continued for my dragon friend, "It sounds too evil, and everyone automatically thinks of the White Witch when that term is used. I don't like to be associated with her."

"You're related to her. It's kind of hard not to associate you with her," Susan pointed out, causing both me and Storm to give her a _Please keep your mouth shut _look.

"We're almost there," Storm called out suddenly, making me realize exactly how close we were to the battlefield.

I swung back onto his back and grabbed my sword from my back, ready to fight at a moment's notice.


	16. Chapter 14: End of the War

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you like the new chapter. Happy New Year! This chapter is extra long; I honestly thought I would not be able to write this much this soon. 9 reviews for one new chapter. The language I used for magic is Slovak, for no reason other than the fact that it looks and sounds cool.

Chapter 14: End of the War

At an invisible signal, the entire army began a charge, with Aslan in front and everyone else racing behind him. He paused at the edge of the cliff overlooking the battlefield and let loose the loudest roar I had ever heard. Every single soldier on the battlefield, both in Aslan and in the Witch's army, froze. Storm took off once we reached the edge of the cliff, soaring above the battlefield.

Storm and I had practiced fighting together so often that we felt like one person as we swooped down low on the battlefield. Storm's jaws, filled with dagger-like teeth and his enormous claws tore and shredded any who got in his way and just as many of the Witch's soldiers fell under the twirling of my double blade and the magic flying from me in all directions.

Suddenly, I spotted my mother, far off in the distance. Her twin swords were whirling in two silver streaks as she attacked. The golden-haired figure in Narnian armor raised his sword to fight her, but I could see that he was barely holding her off. I could imagine what his face must look like, his blue eyes full of fear, fatigue and possibly even pain. Peter was definitely no match for my mother.

A white tiger lunged at me, bringing me back to the battle around me. The beast met a quick end on the point of my sword and a black dwarf not far off was crushed between two pieces of rock which emerged from the ground at my command. Peter would have to take care of himself, I decided, because I would not be able to reach him. I was fighting one of the three shaggy giants which were part of the White Queen's forces when all of a sudden my mother's forces disappeared in a blur.

I looked around at where I had seen Peter fighting my mother and losing. Peter was standing, looking dazed. Behind him was the golden figure of Aslan. My mother was nowhere to be seen, which I knew could only mean she was dead. Storm trotted over to the spot where the three were standing.

Lucy and Susan beat me to Peter's side, however. Screaming his name, they tore through the plains and Lucy engulfed her brother in a relieved hug. It was only a few seconds later that Susan suddenly asked, "Where's Edmund?"

Peter didn't answer, but raced off suddenly, and his sisters followed behind him. I slipped off Storm's back, giving him a chance to rest and followed after them. I had never felt more tired so I allowed a strong breeze flowing by to carry me. We stopped once we spotted Ginabrik, brandishing an axe over Edmund's gasping form.

"Edmund!" Susan cried

The dwarf let out a strange cry as her red-tipped arrow pierced his chest. He fell limply into the grass and we rushed over to Edmund.

There was a deep, gaping, bloody wound in his stomach, a stab wound I could tell. Desperate fingers, I wasn't sure who's, eased his helmet off Edmund's head, which now rested in Susan's lap. Lucy eased the stopper off the small diamond bottle Father Christmas had given her and let one bright red drop fall into her brother's open mouth.

The boy's heaving breaths stopped and he was still. He looked dead, and I guessed his siblings believed they may have been too late. I had learned how to make this cordial a long time ago and knew that Edmund would be fine. I rested my hand on Peter's shoulder, but he didn't look up.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine."

As if to prove my statement, Edmund coughed and sat up. Peter tugged the black-haired boy into a desperate hug. I thought I could see him crying out of fear for his brother or relief that he was fine, I guessed, probably both.

Peter, his voice slightly chocked up, chided his brother, "When are you going to learn to do as you're told?"

"I did do what I was told," Edmund shrugged, "Rayna said to break the wand."

I laughed indignantly, "I said that she couldn't do magic without her wand, _not_ that you should go and get yourself killed."

There were about two seconds of silence before Edmund became the center of a group hug. I stood right behind Peter and Lucy, feeling slightly awkward, before Lucy pulled my arm and made me fall into the grass, forcing me into the hug.

We all drew back simultaneously, noticing Aslan breathe on a satyr standing frozen in stone a few yards away. The grey stone dissolved and became the bright red fur and armor of the satyr, which stretched and walked away. Lucy picked up her bottle of cordial and ran off to help the injured, her red cloak streaming behind her. I also leapt up, running to a petrified dwarf not far off and, as I had done to free Saria and a few others, moved the earth energy out of its body and let it stream into the ground and manifest itself as a bunch of flowers, nasturtiums this time, the flowers of victory. They were small and bright orange, like a ray of sunshine.

I un-enchanted too many statues to count in the next two hours or so and every time the bright orange flowers burst from the ground at the foot of what had been a statue. Even with both Aslan and I working to free all the creatures locked in stone, the process took a long time.

Finally, I came upon the figure of General Oreius, locked in stone with his sword raised. In less than a minute he was revived and his sword was sheathed, though he had nearly killed me with it when he was turned back, surprised that I was not the Witch. In his defense, I had to admit that I looked quite a lot like her. I was explaining to the General what had happened, when a glint of light reflecting off of something caught my eye.

Turning away from Oreius, I walked over to where the light had come from. It was my mother's wand, lying broken on the ground. I stooped down and picked it up, examining the broken end. Edmund had certainly done a good job of breaking it. It had to be kept safe, I knew. Even broken and with its mistress dead, it could still be used for dangerous and evil purposes.

I turned back to Oreius, "This must be disposed of. I will take care of it. Perhaps you should gather the army, assess the damage done."

The centaur nodded and galloped off. I stuck the wand into the ground, broken end up, and prepared to do magic. Since this was a more complicated piece of magic which did not involve direct use of the elements, I would have to call on the elements to fuel my power.

"Fire, I call you," I chanted. A ring of fire formed around my feet, flames lapping hungrily at the hem of my dress, but not burning it.

"Air, I call you, water, I call you, earth, I call you" I continued and first a ring of wind, circling around the first ring of fire caused the flames to dance wildly, then a thin stream of water circled around the fast spinning circle of air formed. Flowers formed the next ring, growing in a rainbow of colors.

"Light and Darkness, I call you," I finished. A new ring formed, this time it was a glowing, shining circle of light. The final ring of the circle was as dark as the previous one had been light. It was pure black darkness.

Finally, once my circle was completed, its six rings pulsating with power, I began to chant in the strange language of magic, "Poslať tento nástroj temné a zlé kúzlo ďaleko, do najvzdialenejších kútov Narnia, kde nikto nikdy nájsť a používať ho pre zlé účely. Prikazujem to! Vezmite prútik do toho!"

There was a blinding flash of light as the elements surrounding me flowed towards the witch's wand and as both the wand and the elements I had summoned to form the circle disappeared.

I turned, satisfied that the wand was gone and saw that I had gained an audience. Peter and Storm had come up behind me while I was doing my magic. Ordinarily nobody could ever sneak up behind me, but when I was doing more complicated magic it was hard for me to concentrate on anything else. Peter looked dumbstruck, unlike Storm who had seen me doing magic too many times to count.

"How…? What did you just do?" he asked.

"I sent it far away, where no one could ever find it. It isn't something which should ever be used again."

Storm ignored Peter and spoke to me, "The army has gathered. We'll be marching to Cair Paravel soon. You should come join us."

I nodded and joined the two, leaving the charred ring where the fire had been which was the only sign that I had ever used magic. The army was considerably smaller than it had been this morning, even with all the statues restored and the wounded healed. 400 soldiers had been killed out of the 10,000 which had fought, though thankfully the 600 which had been turned to stone had been restored. Considering how badly outnumbered we had been, we had pulled through quite well. The Witch's army had been decimated. We had counted over 10,000 of them dead out of the 18,000 which had come to join my other in attempting to destroy us.

We walked until sunset, laughing and reveling in our victory. I didn't mount Storm, giving him an opportunity to stretch his wings and fly more freely than he would have been if I had been riding him and allowing me to talk freely with Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Tumnus and the Beavers.

"I wonder what it's like to fly." Lucy wondered after a while, gazing curiously up at where Storm was making loop-de-loops in the sky.

Edmund was the one to answer, "Incredibly scary."

"Considering the fact that last time you were on Storm's back we had six harpies chasing us and I was throwing fireballs, I don't think you can really judge."

"It does sound nice though, flying I mean, not being chased by harpies." Susan sighed.

I stuck two fingers in my mouth and whistled shrilly. Storm immediately went into a nosedive, straitening up just before he hit the ground and flapping his wings to land gently.

"You know I don't like being whistled at," Storm remarked indignantly, "I am not a dog."

I ignored him and scrambled onto his back. Holding my hand out to help Peter, who was nearest, up onto the saddle.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked, laughing.

"Come on, you'll like it," I encouraged.

He let himself be hauled up into the saddle, followed soon after by a grinning Lucy and a rather reluctant Edmund. Susan however, was hesitant.

"Maybe I don't want to fly, after all," she amended.

"Come on, Su, I didn't think you were that much of a wimp. It's perfectly safe," Peter teased his sister.

This made her get on. Once we were all settled, Storm beat his huge wings and lifted us up into the air. The view was wonderful. In the distance, at the place where the land stopped and the sea began, lay Cair Paravel and in between us and the castle lay deep green forests and lighter green plains, cut through by the sparkling blue of the Great River. Behind us the sun was setting, bathing the sky in fire.

"Woah," Peter breathed.

"Nice, isn't it?" I commented

"You can say that again," Edmund said.

Storm turned his great head to face us, "And it's about to get better."

He had a look in his eyes that I recognized.

"Storm, no!" I exclaimed, seconds before he went into a nosedive.

The two girls shrieked and even the boys gave cries of surprise as we plummeted to the ground. Seconds before we should have crashed into the ground, he drew up and flew up at incredible speed. Once he reached a decent altitude, he began a series of loop-de-loops and figure eights which made the humans behind me quite green.

I winced, remembering the first time I had ridden Storm. I had been screaming the whole time and my stomach had not felt quite right for the rest of that day. Since then I had done a lot of fancy flying with Storm and never got even the slightest bit queasy.

Finally, Storm landed. The Pevensies all but fell off his back, lying on the ground as if they would cling to it for all that they were worth.

"I swear I will get back at you for that as soon as I recover from the feeling that my insides aren't in my body," Edmund threatened, looking as serious as anyone as green as he was could look.

Suddenly they sat up, realizing where they were. They were lying on sand, not grass, and above them stretched the beautiful castle of Cair Paravel. Somehow, without them noticing, Storm had gotten us all the way to the eastern end of Narnia. Farther away, still in the woods, we could see Aslan and General Oreius leading the Narnians to the castle, but it was dark by the time they reached us.

Together, we entered the castle, which had been readied for our arrival by the sea nymphs that had come up from the beach. Susan, Peter, Lucy, Edmund and I were all ushered into separate rooms.


	17. Chapter 15: First Day at the Cair

Author's note: Sorry I took so long to post a new chapter, but I had a small case of writer's block and a crazy amount of tests and reports to do for school. Anyway, 8 reviews for 1 new chapter. I always appreciate new ideas for characters or for the story in general. Please PM me if you have any. Enjoy!

Chapter 15: First Day at the Cair

The room I was assigned to was small, but richly decorated and very beautiful. Waiting for me were three sea nymphs standing around a bath. The sight of it was better than anything I had ever seen. The nymphs helped me out of my armor and into the warm, steaming water. It was glorious. The three nymphs scrubbed me all over, washing my hair and body in scented oils and then helping me out, scrubbing me all over with a huge, thick, soft towel and helping me into a light white nightgown.

Once they had left, I did not wait to slide into the red and gold covers of the giant four-poster bed. I fell asleep almost instantly, tired from all the magic I had done today, the battle and the sleepless night I had had last night.

I awoke early, as usual, the next morning. Sliding out of bed, I padded over to the window and peaked out of the red velvet drapes. It was light out, and I could see the beach and the sapphire sea from my window. It was absolutely amazing. I had seen the beach last night and a few times during my mother's reign, but the bright sunlight and lack of snow and ice made it breathtaking.

Between me and the beach was the castle, white against the green of the trees. Its many levels spread out majestically down the hill and stopped just at the end of the cliffs which separated the castle from the beach.

"It's beautiful out there isn't it?" the voice surprised me and my reflexes kicked in.

I whirled, wind flying from my fingers and across the room at the source of the voice, throwing the figure hard into a wall.

"Peter!" I shrieked, getting a good look at the intruder for the first time. "I am so sorry!"

Peter got up, grunting. He had been hit pretty hard by the blast of air I had sent at him. I raced to help him up. That was the second time he had managed to sneak up on me. Either I was losing my touch or he was exceptionally talented at stealth.

"What," Peter gasped, "was that for?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized once again. "It's reflex."

Peter winced, cracked his back and looked directly at me, "It's fine."

"You're right, it is beautiful outside," I leaned against the small vanity table and gazed at Peter.

"I can't believe I'll be living here," Peter sighed, "and that I'm going to be king."

"You'll get used to it. And you've got your siblings."

"And you," Peter added.

I looked down at my bare feet when he said this. I couldn't stay at Cair Paravel after the coronation, I knew. Storm and I would probably go to Archenland or at least somewhere in the mountains. Nobody would trust me, the White Witch's daughter, now that the war was over. While I had been useful during the war while I might have helpful information, I seriously doubted that would change anything now. There was always the question of my immortality. I did not like to make friends with regular people, or creatures, or talking animals as I would have to watch them grow old and die. Storm was no regular creature. Dragons lived 1,500 years on average and Storm had only been five years old, just fully grown, when I had met him.

"Rayna?" Peter asked, looking at me strangely.

I realized I had probably been silent for a long time, "Possibly," I answered to his last statement.

Peter changed the subject, "Susan, Edmund, Lucy and Tumnus are outside. We thought we'd have breakfast in the gardens. Care to join us?"

"Of course, I'll get dressed and meet you outside."

Peter nodded and left the room. I walked over to the wardrobe and selected the first dress my hands reached. The dress was satin one-shoulder, with two straps on the left shoulder: one on the shoulder, one off. The skirt was floor-length and pleated (pic on profile). I strapped on my silver sandals and quickly combed my hair back in its usual style: half-up and half-down. Making sure my pendant was clasped around my neck and dashed out the door. Out of force of habit, I went to grab my sword, but I changed my mind and left it. I would not need it, and even if I had the need to fight, I could always use magic.

Tough I had seen the castle from the outside many times, I had never explored it on the inside and it took me a while to find my way out into the gardens. Once did find them, it took no time to find the four Pevensies and the faun spread out on a picnic blanket covered with food in the shade of an ancient oak. The garden was beautiful, not too tame but not completely wild either. Flowers and beautiful trees in flower were organized around bright green grass.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Tumnus remarked as I sat down.

I nodded and reached for a muffin, "Of course I think some people would appreciate it better if they weren't stuffing their face with food."

Edmund, who did actually have a huge amount of food in his mouth, looked up and mumbled something that sounded something like "'Sno ma fot! Im ungy!"

We all burst out laughing. Edmund swallowed, unabashed, then gave me an annoyed look.

"You really should stop eating so fast. As Lucy wisely told you a couple of days ago, and I quote 'Narnia's not going to run out of toast, Edmund'. Well, I suppose its food in general this time, but still," Susan lectured her brother, causing Lucy to giggle, covering her hand with her mouth.

Susan and Lucy were both wearing almost identical dresses, long-sleeved and scoop-necked, reaching to the floor with small train and tied at the waist with a golden braided belt. Lucy's was a bright orange color and Susan's was an olive green, with the top layer of the skirt lifted up slightly and sewed to the waist to reveal the cream underskirt with embroidered flowers on the fabric (pics on profile). The two boys both wore cream-colored pants and tunics tied with belts. Edmund had a blue tunic with a leather belt and Peter a brown tunic with a gold belt.

Lucy turned to me, "After breakfast, we're supposed to be going to see the seamstress. We need to get some dresses for the coronation."

I nodded, "Sounds fine."

"It is nice here. I'll miss it when I go back to my home," Tumnus began conversationally.

"Oh, but you don't have to go back! Won't you stay?" Lucy burst out.

"Well, I suppose if you want me to stay, I can. My cave is completely ruined anyway."

"Sorry about that," I apologized, "I tried to get my mother to let me go get you. I have perfected the art letting potential prisoners get away and make it look completely accidental. Of course, she had to send Maugrim and he likes to make a show, wrecking houses and everything."

Tumnus' face was unreadable, "Thank you, I suppose."

"Well, at least we know she can talk herself out of a situation," Edmund grinned slightly.

Unfortunately, I did not find it funny. I glared at Edmund and suddenly water appeared out of thin air and crashed onto Edmund's hair. Soaking wet, Edmund glared at me and leapt up. I shrieked and ran, deciding to play along.

Of course Edmund didn't actually catch me. I ducked behind a tree and made myself invisible. Light was the element of illusion, and so I used it now to make it look like I was streaking across the lawn. As soon as Edmund caught up to the fake me but when he tried to catch it his arms went straight through the light illusion and it disappeared. Quickly, the chase became a full scale game with every single Pevensie and Tumnus trying to find me. There were fake Raynas running all over the place, as well as pools of water appearing in front of the children, vines and rocks tripping the children and air blasting them to the ground. In the end the children, soaked and covered in leaves and bits of grass, sank to the ground, gasping.

I popped back into view and stood triumphantly in front of them. Then I realized something.

"Where's Peter?" I asked, just as a hand closed around my shoulder.

"I win," he announced and I laughed.

Apparently he really could sneak up on me without noticing me. It was almost comical. We collapsed on the ground, laughing. It was just then that a dryad, a silver tree, came up to us. She announced, in her bell-like voice, that the seamstresses were waiting to fit us with gowns for the coronation.

Still laughing, Susan, Lucy and I headed to the chambers where the seamstresses were waiting for us. The room was large, with every single wall full of bolts of fabric of every color and pattern, beads and threads. In the center of the room were four small circular platforms for people to stand on and in front of each was a full length mirror. Several dwarves, a centaur, a faun and a centaur, all females, were waiting for us.

All three of us were immediately ushered onto a platform and our measurements were taken. After a while, they packed away the tape measures and began to ask us what kind of dresses we wanted.

"Something simple," Lucy and Susan both requested.

I shrugged, "I don't care what it looks like, as long as it's white."

Once they were done, the seamstresses ushered us out of the room. We didn't bother going back out into the gardens, but instead went to Susan's room to chat. The room was obviously made for a royal, much larger than mine, and hung with gold and red.

"I almost think I'm going to get tired of those colors," Susan smiled.

"This is your room," I reminded her, "you can decorate it however you like."

"What about you?" Lucy began, "Do you ever get tired of white?"

I laughed slightly, "You noticed I asked for a white dress, didn't you? I guess it is strange, me liking white so much. I hardly ever wear anything which isn't white. You see," I explained, "when you study magic, you find that everything means something: plants, colors, different kinds of animals, things like that. White is the opposite of what my mother is, so I wear it a lot. It's weird, but it's become part of who I am."

"That's kind of nice."

"What's Narnia like, really?" Susan asked suddenly. "I mean, we've seen a little of it, but there's always been war and fighting and running for our lives."

"I wouldn't know about that. I haven't seen Narnia before my mother came to power and it wasn't exactly a cultural hub during her reign."

"There was a time before the winter?" Lucy exclaimed which really caused me to laugh.

"Of course! Did you think Narnia just popped into existence with the Witch in power? There were rulers before that, though she has been in Narnia since it was created."

"So she's Narnian?" Lucy asked

I shook my head, "No, she came from her world with a Son of Adam, a Daughter of Eve, the first king of Narnia, Frank, and a horse, Fledge, though she wasn't from your world. They witnessed the creation of Narnia."

"That sounds like a nice story," Susan sighed.

"We have been having some adventures of our own, though, Su," Lucy said.

"Well ours wasn't half as nice as coming to Narnia to see the creation of a world," Susan argued.

"These things always sound nicer in stories," I told them, "I wouldn't be surprised if they write epic sagas about you and Peter and Edmund. It wasn't as nice as all that. Diggory and Polly, those are the two children, had to go through a lot just to stop my mother from taking over Narnia. And they weren't able to hold her off forever. Still, Narnia did have 900 years of peace."

"Were there kings and queens in Narnia then?"

"Definitely, and there will be more good rulers as soon as you are crowned."

Susan snorted, "Right, and this'll be the Golden Age of Narnia. Come on! We're still just kids!"

I was about to protest when Tumnus poked his head through the door, "Rayna, I think you might want to come and help. Peter's…" he searched for the right word, "struggling with his dancing lessons and Edmund's not much better."

"Dancing! What for?" Susan exclaimed.

"For the coronation ball, of course," Tumnus elaborated.

Lucy's smiled jubilantly, "A ball!"

I ignored her, "Come on, let's see how badly they're doing."

Tumnus was right: Peter and Edmund were abysmal at dancing. The two sea nymphs that were attempting to teach the two boys two dance were looking more annoyed by the second as their bare toes were stepped on multiple times. The nymphs' cries of complaint and the boys' desperate "Sorry!" every time it happened drowned out the sound of the waltz being played.

Lucy giggled, and I had to admit the scene was quite funny.

"Oh, honestly!" Susan sighed, "You two charge into battle as if it's nothing and yet you can't handle dancing.

"I'd like to see you do better," Edmund retorted.

"That's actually a good idea," I said, "Susan, you pair up with Peter and Lucy with Edmund. You're going to need to learn to dance too."

"I'm also going to need feeling in my toes," Susan commented.

Peter looked exasperated, "Shut up, Su."

"Come on, Susan," Lucy whined, "It'll be fun."

"Oh, all right." And she reluctantly went to join her older brother on the dancefloor.


	18. Chapter 16: Indecision

Author's note: How many more chapters until the end of this part? I can do up to two more chapters to finish it off. I will be taking a two week break between the first and the second part, just to make sure I have my storyline for the second part finished. 9 reviews for one new chapter, I appreciate constructive criticism. If you have any new ideas for the plot or for new characters, please PM me.

_I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand  
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?  
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?_

If you're not the one – Daniel Bedingfield

Chapter 16: Indecision

"Now, try and not step on Susan's feet, Peter, she'll never let me hear the end of it for making me do it."

Susan and Peter gave me annoyed looks, though for completely different reasons. Lucy and Edmund were chocking back laughter at their expressions.

"This is a waltz, which is about as basic as you can get in dancing, now Edmund, Peter, hold Susan and Lucy by the waist, and girls put your hand on their shoulder. Your other hands should be holding… holding, Edmund! You look like you're about to break poor Lucy's hand, dancing's not that bad!" Edmund stuck out his tongue at me, childishly, "Good, now the steps are simple, front, side, together, back, side, together. I'll count out the time for you, 1,2,3…1,2-"

"Oww!" Susan cried out, glaring at Peter.

He had obviously stepped on her foot. Susan had been doing quite well until then. She seemed to have a natural grace and beauty that she carried with her everywhere. I had a feeling that she would grow to be flocked by suitors. The fact that she was a natural dancer did not stop her from storming out of the room at this. Lucy and Edmund had been doing better than the two: Edmund had managed not to step on Lucy's toes though he was still stumbling around awkwardly and Lucy, who wasn't as graceful as Susan, was prancing around quite happily and skillfully with a beautiful smile on her face.

"It looks like you will have to dance with me, Peter," I sighed, joining Peter. I turned to Edmund and Lucy, "You two keep practicing."

His position was awkward and I had to correct his hold on my waist, "Now, work on the steps. No, don't look down at your feet. That's rule number 1: got it?"

He nodded.

"Okay, you step forward with your left foot and I step back with my right, then you bring your right foot to the side and I do the same with my left, and we bring both our feet together. Those are the first three beats: 1,2,3. On the next three beats you step back with your right foot and I step forward with my left on 1, side with your left and my right on 2, and bring our feet together on 3."

"Is that it?" Peter seemed amazed that it was so simple.

"Basically," I smiled slightly, "are you ready? 1,2,3…1,2,3."

This time Peter looked almost graceful when he danced. In fact, the only thing wrong with his dancing was the intensely concentrated look on his face, as if he was working really hard not to mess up the steps.

"Relax, you're doing great. Look at me, Peter, you're looking at you're feet again," I corrected and he looked up and directly into my eyes.

I held his gaze and smiled slightly in encouragement. He really was handsome, I noticed, and if not talented, then at least a decent dancer when he had got the steps down. Susan popped her head through the door, glancing around as if to see if anyone had been permanently injured in the process of learning to dance.

"You should know that lunch is being served in the dining hall," she informed us.

Edmund, at once spurred by the thought of food and the opportunity to get away from the dancing, raced out of the ballroom. He had been dancing quite well, though rather stiffly, which looked very strange next to Lucy's joyous steps. Lucy followed, but stopped at the door and waited for us.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

Peter seemed to hesitate, "I'm not particularly hungry, I think I'll stay here for a while and keep practicing… that is, if Rayna doesn't mind."

"I'm not so hungry either," I shrugged, "I'll stay here too."

"Alright, fine, come on Lucy," Susan turned to go and eat.

Once they had gone I turned to Peter, a mischievous smile on my face, "Are you really so intent on escaping Susan's wrath that you would willingly spend time _dancing_?"

He smiled, "Actually, I wanted to spend time with you."

"Even if it means dancing?"

He nodded.

"Well come on, then," I took his hand, "show me you can dance."

He took my waist like I had shown him but he was as far away as he could be while still holding me.

"Peter this is a waltz. You're supposed to pull me close," I advised him.

Peter did do it, pulling me close to him so that our bodies were just touching. I looked up into his beautiful blue eyes again and placed my hand on his shoulder and we began to dance.

It was perfect: just a simple waltz with nothing fancy added. Though the only music playing was in our heads, we were perfectly in time with it. Every motion seemed to be perfect, but I wasn't thinking about the dance. Our eyes held each other: his turquoise on my icy blue and I felt swallowed up by his gaze. All of a sudden he was twirling me, my white skirts whirling around my ankles.

We stopped dancing when the turn ended, with our bodies close to each other. I was slightly taller than him, so he had to reach up slightly in order to place his lips on mine lightly.

The kiss was gentle and sweet. His lips fit against mine like they had been meant for me and, without thinking I kissed him back. I realized that I had loved Peter all along, ever since I had first properly met him after the waterfall. It was only once we had separated that the shock came over me.

"I'm sorry, Peter, I can't do this! I have to go!" I cried out and ran from the room.

I lifted my skirts up above my ankles as I raced through the corridors of the castle and out into the gardens. I dashed across the lawn, barely restraining the tears from flowing. Finally, I reached a woody glade in the garden of ancient oaks and maple trees. A stone bench stood in the shade of the largest oak, creating a cool and peaceful spot where one could rest. I threw myself onto the bench and burst into sobs.

I couldn't let myself be close to Peter, no matter how much I loved him. There were too many reasons why we could not possibly be together. I was sobbing too hard to notice anything around me and so I did not see Storm coming up to me until he rested his enormous head on my lap. We sat like this for some time, I have no idea how long, until my tears relented a little.

"Hush, Rayna," he comforted me. "What happened?"

"He – we…kissed," I stammered through my tears, rubbing my fingers in his feathery head.

"You mean you and Peter?" I nodded, "What's so bad about that?"

"We can't be together, Storm. He's a king and I'm just a-"

Storm cut in, "a princess, a noble, wise princess."

"No, I am the daughter of a usurper and a witch who took the throne by force. That does not make me a princess." I sighed, "And even if rank does not matter, I'm not even human and I'm immortal. He'll grow old and I won't, I'll always be like this, until Narnia itself dies. For Aslan's sake, Storm, can't you see there is nothing that will change what I am? I'm leaving after the coronation, I can't stay."

"Do you know what I think? You've pushed people away all your life and now you're afraid of getting close to someone. You're scared." He taunted me.

"Maybe I am, but that does not change the fact that Peter and I can never be together."

"Perhaps you could speak to him, tell him everything," he comforted me, "You like him and he likes you, you can work it out."

"Maybe you're right." Suddenly, I smiled, "and here I was thinking you were just a sarcastic lump with feathers in your brain."

He extended one massive paw and knocked me over into the grass, "Hey! I am a sensitive, sarcastic lump with the most massive brain in Narnia!"

I laughed, "Let's go flying, Storm. We haven't been flying together, just the two of us I mean, for a long time."

He scrambled to his feet and I jumped onto his back easily. Then he unfolded his wings and flew into the sky. It was exhilarating, as it always was and always would be, no matter how many times I did it.

"Where to?" I cried out to Storm over the sound of the wind in our ears.

He seemed to think it over, "Cauldron pool!" he decided.

I smiled. Cauldron pool was my favorite place in all of Narnia. It had been frozen for as long as I remembered, but I had used to melt the waterfall over the pool just to see the water swirl and bubble. There was only spot in the whole of the frothing, agitated pool that was completely calm: the spot just behind the waterfall, which was hidden from sight.

It took us only about half an hour to reach the small pool, with Storm flying at his fastest possible speed. The pool was even more beautiful than it had been the last time I had been there. The spring had that effect on Narnia. Storm and I sat and talked about everything and nothing for a few hours, the way we used to whenever we could escape from the Witch's castle during the long winter. I had missed this, I realized, just being able to talk with my best friend.

Once we finally headed back to Cair Paravel, much more slowly this time, I had completely forgotten about the problem with Peter. Storm and I were still laughing when he landed on the lawn. I swung off his back and came around to his head.

"Thank you, that was nice," I said sincerely. Storm always knew how to make me feel better.

"Rayna!" I turned at the call to see Peter dashing across the lawn.

"I guess I should go talk to him, shouldn't I?" I sighed, and walked briskly over to him.

Behind me, Storm flew away discretely, and I sent a wordless thanks to him. He truly was a good friend.

Peter's blue eyes were wide with uncertainty as we faced each other, and suddenly he blurted out, "I'm sorry, about earlier I mean, I shouldn't have assumed that you felt the same way I do, because I really do like you and I thought you might feel like me, and with the dancing, I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry, Rayna, I really am but –"

I kissed him again, slightly more urgently this time, if only to stop his rambling. I almost had to stop myself from laughing at his shocked and confused expression.

"I do like you, Peter, I really do. That isn't why I ran away, I was… confused – we need to talk," I began, perfectly calm.

"What about?" Peter wondered.

"Walk with me," I instructed. "I ran because I wasn't sure we _could_ be together, not because I didn't _want_ us to be together. You see, Peter, I am not human, not like you at all. I'm not even mortal. I was born in the year 913; I am 87 years old."

"That can't be true!" Peter burst out. "You don't look much older than I am, and I'm only 16. And what are you if you aren't human? You look perfectly normal, if not a little tall."

"My mother wasn't human; surely you know that at least. She was part giant, and part Jinn. And she wasn't mortal either. You must know that she ruled for a hundred years, and she was in Narnia for 900 years before that, and yet how old do you believe that she looks? I am a lot more like her than I care to admit. I haven't aged a day since I was sixteen."

Peter stopped abruptly and turned to face me, "But I don't understand. How does that make it impossible for us to be together?"

"Because, Peter," I cried, suddenly agitated, "I will always be like this and you and Lucy and Edmund and Susan will grow old and die, or even go back to your world! I have always distanced myself from people, because I am afraid. I am afraid that one day I will have to see someone I care about dead, and know that I can never join them in Aslan's Country!"


	19. Chapter 17: Stories of the Past and

Author's note: I don't know why people find the fact that Rayna is taller than Peter so funny. If you've ever read the books, it tells us that the Witch had giant blood, and therefore was extremely tall. Rayna has inherited that trait, and so she is tall, taller than Peter. I did not intend it to be funny. However, I appreciate the fact that people liked that part of my story.

I have not decided how many chapters I will write before the end of this part. I had originally planned on writing only two chapters after the chapter where the war is ended: one transitional chapter and one for the coronation, but I now think that that I will end up writing much more. I have already had three chapters since chapter 14, and I think I will probably end up writing two more before I finish the part.

On the usual note: 9 reviews and I will publish a new chapter.

Sorry for the unusually long AN, thank you for reading, now on with the story.

_They can take tomorrow and the plans we made  
They can take the music that we'll never play  
All the broken dreams, take everything  
Just take it away but they can never have yesterday  
They can take the future that we'll never know  
They can take the places that we said we will go  
All the broken dreams take everything  
Just take it away but they can never have yesterday_

Yesterday – Leona Lewis

Chapter 17: Stories of the Past and Plans for the Future

"Maybe I should start from the beginning," I began, glancing at Peter. "Not long before I was born, my mother decided she wanted someone who would be her greatest servant and – and I quote – 'be the greatest assassin that ever lived'. I think she thought that no one else could bear that title than someone who was of her blood. So she sought out the greatest magician she could find and seduced him, and once she had me, she killed him. He no longer was useful to her, you see, and that's what she does. She keeps people around only as long as they are useful to her, and then she disposes of them."

"So your mother killed your father?" Peter prompted.

I looked down sadly. I had always wanted to meet my father, though nobody knew that except Storm, "I don't know anything about him, except that he wasn't from this world or from yours and that he was very powerful. I don't even know his name, or what species he was." I caught myself, "Anyway, I grew up with my mother, and once I was old enough to be trained, she began to teach me. I was only six at the time, and I thought I was her little princess. She acted quite different around me, like a real mother. I thought she was the best person ever, and I did everything to please her," I let out a harsh laugh. "I've found she is very good at acting like something she's not, when it suits her purposes. I think it's something all witches can do, all the good ones anyway. I can do it too, though I don't. It was a long time before I began to realize she wasn't who I thought she was, and even then I didn't fully stop believing her for a long time. By then my training was complete. I was proficient in swordplay and magic. I was ready."

Peter interrupted, "Ready for what?"

"That is the question isn't it? I was ready to become the Silver Dagger, the ruthless assassin of the White Witch. I was given the title of Princess, which meant I would be my mother's heir when she died – though since she is, or was, immortal I don't think that really matters. I was ready to be sent out to do her bidding. But mostly, I was ready to become immortal. I was 16 at the time and I still am 16, as I have been for the last 71 years."

Peter opened his mouth to say something but my expression cut him off. I continued the story, "I knew that my mother was evil then, but I still wanted to please her, in a way, I wanted her to love me and then we could be like a family again, and so I let her give me the fruit of eternal life and make me her servant. I was young then, and very foolish," I scoffed. "We were never a family; I was just another person she wanted to use. Anyway, it wasn't even a year after my sixteenth birthday that I completely gave up any loyalty I had to her, which wasn't much in the first place. But I continued to be the Silver Dagger, because I never knew anything else. I didn't really help the Witch, but I didn't try to do anything to fight against her either.

"And then, 64 years ago, I met Storm. He had been captured by the Witch after an expedition to the northern part of Narnia. She brought him back to her castle, and tortured him. He had been part of the resistance against her there, and she wanted information. He never said anything, though. One day, she asked me to go in there and torture him. The wolves were busy and she had been having the pack do most of the actual work. So I went in there, and I pitied him. He wasn't well off, covered in wolf bites and scratches, quite a few of them very deep. So I convinced my mother to let me keep him, ride him whenever she sent me out to do something. I healed him, though he still has scars, even now, and the next time I went to hunt down a poor creature which had upset her, I took him with me. I planned to release him and then tell my mother he had managed to escape. But he didn't want to leave. It was against his honor as a dragon to leave me, or something. We've been working against her ever since then, secretly.

"And then you four came along. Ever since she had met Edmund in the woods, she sent me out every day to find you and bring you to her. So I knew the moment you entered Narnia, not that I told her that. In fact, if Edmund hadn't shown up, she wouldn't have known for another week at least."

"When you gave him the necklace?" Peter asked.

My hand went to my throat where the ice crystal hung on its chain, "You've seen its power, it shields the wearer from any magic cast at him or her. I gave it to him because I knew she would try to turn him to stone once she decided he wasn't of any more use to her, and so I gave him some protection.

"She sent me out to find you, Lucy and Susan after she found out you were in Narnia, you know. I caught up to you at the river, and you're lucky I did. The river was barely holding out."

"You were at the river!" Peter exclaimed.

I nodded, "I managed to strengthen the ice for a little while. Aslan's magic was strong, though, and I used up all my strength trying to thicken the ice. I fell into the river and Storm fished me out. I passed out after that and you know the rest."

"I had no idea, Rayna," Peter breathed, "Thank you."

I ignore this, "So now you know my story, and you know why I am leaving tomorrow after the coronation."

He stopped and turned to me, "Isn't there anything I can do to make you stay?"

I shook my head sadly, "I don't like to be around people for an extended period of time. They always die around me. Even if I didn't have that problem, do you really think anyone would trust me? I am the daughter of the White Witch, and nothing can change that. I was tolerated as long as I was useful to the war, but now that it's over people will start to become suspicious. They won't want even the smallest chance of something like my mother's reign to happen again."

"We trust you. Su, Ed, Lu and I, I mean, and Aslan and Tumnus and the Beavers and Oreius," He put in.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, Peter, nothing you can say or do will change my mind. I want my last days here to be memorable," I requested.

Peter looked at me strangely, "I thought you were going to go away and try and forget us."

"Of course not!" I cried out in surprise. "It would be very hard to forget Lucy; she'd find a way to pester me into remembering it no matter how far away she was. I've never had an adventure like this ever anyway, not one I wanted to be on anyway or that I was on the right side of. And I won't have to live with my mother anymore. No, I'll always remember this."

"Do you promise that? Will you always remember us, and this war?"

"I, Rayna, Silver Dagger and Mistress of the art of Magic, swear to always remember you and your siblings and the time we spent together," I said quite solemnly, putting my hand on Peter's shoulder.

Peter reached up to where my hand rested on his shoulder and took it in his, "Where will you go?"

"I'm not sure. I will probably go somewhere I the woods, live by myself with Storm. I can take care of myself, and a little peace and quiet does seem very nice."

"Perhaps it does," Peter muttered.

I smiled, "Let's not talk about what might happen or what could happen. We'll always have today, and the day before that. It is a beautiful day today, and the sun will be setting in about fifteen minutes. We should walk down to the beach and enjoy it."

"Yes, I would love to have a proper look at the beach," Peter agreed. "I know we saw it yesterday, but it was night, and we were all tired. We never really did explore it."

"I've seen it many, many times before, but there was always snow on the beach and the sea was frozen," I remarked.

"The whole sea was frozen?"

"No, just a little piece along the shore, but the sea was very cold, I tried it once. I don't think I have ever seen Storm laugh that much."

Peter laughed at the idea of me shrieking from the cold. I joined in, admitting that it had been rather funny. We walked down the steps which led from the castle down to the beach. Once we reached the sand, I kicked off my shoes and lifted my skirts, running through the sand and enjoying the feel of the warm sand through my toes.

Within a minute, Peter had also removed his shoes and was chasing me through the sand. He caught up to me quickly, as I didn't use any magic to escape him this time. We made our way over to the sea and waded in, with me lifting my skirts up almost over my knees so that I could wade freely. I shrieked when I felt a splash of water on my body and dropped my skirts, letting them get soaked in the water. Peter gave me a mischievous look and laughed at my expression.

"You really shouldn't have done that!" I warned Peter.

He laughed, "What are you going to do about it?"

In response, I sent a gigantic wave his way, knocking him down and sweeping him under for a second. He came up spluttering and soaked.

"Hey!" Peter called out, half laughing.

"That's what you get for messing with me!"

I looked up, noticing three figures running along the beach. As they got closer, I realized that Edmund, Lucy and Susan had joined us. They ran straight into the water and pretty soon we were in an all out war, with all four Pevensies against me. They were losing, as every time they managed to advance on me and almost knock me down, they were swept away by a wave which I summoned.

The sun was setting, but we didn't see it as we were laughing and splashing around too much to care about the orange sky. We would have stayed out for hours, but the night had settled and we had to make our way back up the steps, soaking and still laughing.

The naiad which attended to me in my room that evening as I prepared to go to bed was not very happy about my dress, which was soaked in seawater, and grumbled about how she would have to clean it.

All in all, I had to say that the day had been quite fulfilling. It didn't take me very long to go to sleep.


	20. Chapter 18: Coronation

Author's note: This is it, the end of part 1. I will be waiting two weeks at least, to sort out the plotline for the second part. I am sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter, but I had a small case of writer's block, because I wanted this chapter to be perfect. I'm sure it's not, but it's as good as I have been able to make it. I will publish the next chapter once I get 9 reviews (though even if I do there will still be a two week wait. If I get 13 reviews, then I will get the next chapter out in one week instead of two.

Enjoy!

_We were the kings and the queens_

_And they read off our names_

_The night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the same_

_You held your head like a hero on a history book page_

_It was the end of a decade_

_But the start of an age_

Long Live – Taylor Swift

Chapter 18: Coronation

The coronation the next day was grand. He great throne room, with its four marble thrones standing on the dais at the end of the hall, was crowded with creatures. Banners of red and gold with the narnian lion on them made an aisle for Aslan as well as the kings and queens to walk down during the ceremony. The only ones in front of the banners were two rows of centaurs in full battle armor and holding out their swords to create a pathway. I had secured a spot in the front row, along with Mr. Tumnus and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. The Beavers had been chosen to bear the four dwarf-made crowns which would be given to the new royals. Tumnus – who had changed out of his usual red-knit scarf and into a blue and silver velvet scarf – was to present the crowns to Susan, Lucy and Edmund. As for me, I had been given the great honor of placing the crown on the head of the High King. I had a feeling Peter had insisted on this.

I wore the dress the seamstresses had finished just this morning. It was pure white chiffon with a sweetheart neckline. Dress was floor-length with a small train and was split up the left side, where the fabric was shaped into loose ruffles. A strap of white fabric sewed with beads and small pieces of mirror ran under my chest and looped over my left shoulder and across my back, the only decoration on the dress (pic on profile). I wore sliver strappy high heeled shoes with tiny mirrors sewn onto the straps (pic on profile). My hair had been left loose in its natural dark blonde curls and small diamond clips had been attached to my hair at random intervals, complementing my dress nicely. My eyes had been outlined in dark kohl and accentuated with silver eye-shadow (pic on profile). My lips had been done in a very light coral pink.

There was a sound of trumpets and we all turned, anticipating the arrival of the most important people at the ceremony. Sure enough the Pevensies and Aslan were making their way through the room. Edmund and Peter were on one side of Aslan and Susan and Lucy on the other side. They looked forward solemnly as they walked, but I could see the barely contained joy and excitement in their eyes. Once the party reached the steps to the dais, they paused for a moment before continuing. They turned and faced us, each of the four rulers in front of their throne and Aslan in front of them.

Edmund, who was on the far right throne, wore silver-whit hose under knee-high boots covered in black velvet with small pearl buttons running up the side. The boots were slit and turned down at the front, revealing a silver-blue material the same color as his tunic. He wore an undershirt of a dark blue satin with gathered sleeves under his tunic, which was velvet in a sea-grey blue color and a rounded collar, open in the front and with silver braided trim at the waist. The tunic's sleeves were short, revealing the sleeves of the undershirt. A sliver symbol was embroidered on the front of the tunic. His silver velvet cape was edged in a twisted silver cord and was clasped in the front with a gold medallion embossed with a lion's head.

Peter was to the left of his brother. He wore a velvet tunic in a rich blue color. The collar was rounded and there was a gold symbol embroidered on the front of the tunic. The sleeves weren't quite full length and were slit, revealing a light blue undershirt with gathered sleeves. Gold cording wrapped around his waist and the hem was done in the same color. The bottom of the tunic was split a few inches up the front. He wore pale cream yellow hose and knee-high boots covered in the same velvet as his tunic. They were slit up the back and turned down, edged in gold fabric. He wore a gold velvet cape hemmed with twisted gold cord and clasped with a brooch exactly like his brother's.

Susan was next and her dress was pale slivery blue crushed velvet done over in gold leaf in a swirling design of sprigs of berries. A line of false round, gold buttons ran down the front of the dress. A line darker blue trim lined the scoop neck, on which were embroidered gold flowers with a bead in the center of each one. The waist was fitted, with a wide skirt. The sleeves were the same color as the trim on the neck of the gown, done in a silk charmeuse. The sleeve was in two parts, with a short sleeve, and then a lower sleeve, with trailing fabric. A band of trim embroidered with more gold flowers separated the two parts of the sleeves. A cape was also brought out. It was made of dark blue velvet, embossed with large medallions and trimmed with gold cording and fastened with a gold brooch emblazoned with a lion head. The overall effect was very flattering, and not too complicated.

Lastly was Lucy. The silver white dress made for her was also simple and beautiful. The dress was crushed velvet with silk satin sleeves. The neck was round and edged with small pearl beads in metal flower settings. The body of the dress was beaded with pearl-in-flower settings in even rows of seven. About five inches above the bottom hem of the dress was a decorative swirling on the velvet embellished with clusters of beads. The back of the dress was closed with pearl looped buttons. The sleeves were made of an upper puff from which flowed a slightly flared sleeve. She also wore a cape, though hers was orangeish red velvet and trimmed with silver cord. The design embossed in the cape was the same as Susan's, as was the brooch which fastened the cape.

"To the glistening eastern sea," Aslan began, "I give you Queen Lucy the Valiant."

The two Beavers, bearing the crowns on fancy cushions, walked forward, and Tumnus followed them. He took Lucy's crown, which was a beautiful wreath of tiny mother of pearl flowers and leaves on a thin band of silver. The youngest queen knelt and he placed it gently on her head. She rose up, grinning at her friend, who smiled and backed away to where the Beavers were standing.

"To the great western wood, King Edmund the Just," Aslan continued.

This time it was Edmund who knelt down so that his silver crown could be placed on his head.

"To the radiant southern sun, Queen Susan the Gentle."

Susan's crown was made of tiny daffodils worked out of gold and woven into a thin web of gold branches.

"And to the clear northern sky, I give you King Peter the Magnificent."

It was my turn to walk solemnly forward. I took the golden crown from the Beavers and, as Peter kneeled down, placed it on his golden hair. He looked up at me and our eyes met. I knew I would never forget this moment.

The four kings and queens of Narnia sat in their four marble thrones, and Aslan turned to them, speaking more softly now, "Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen. May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens." Aslan turned back to the crowd and we all shouted in unison, though it hadn't been rehearsed.

"Long live King Peter! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Susan! Long live Queen Lucy!" A great cheer and clapping rose up from the crowd as the cry ended.

"Now, let us enjoy this day of merriment!" Aslan called.

That was the signal to begin the ball. All the creatures cleared away from the center of the room, leaving an open, round space. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy rose up from their thrones and went down to the dance floor. Peter took Susan's hand and Edmund took Lucy's and they began to dance. This was tradition, for the rulers of Narnia to open the ball.

It didn't take long for everyone to join the dance. I watched the crowds of people dancing joyfully before making my way to the corner where Storm was, and had been for the entire duration of the coronation. He didn't speak, but leaned his head down to look at me as I gently ran my hand through the soft white feathers at his shoulder.

"Shall we go?" He finally asked.

"Yes, I think it is time," I spoke softly, glancing at where Peter was dancing with his youngest sister. Susan had moved away and was now dancing with Tumnus.

Silently, we left the hall, heading for the beach. I had packed my few possessions in Storm's saddlebags the night before and left them safely at the bottom of the staircase so I could reach it easily when we left. They weren't very full. All I had was a cloak, a blanket, a brush and two extra dresses and my white boots, for when I had to change out of the clothes I had worn to the coronation. My double sword hung from its hooks on the saddle. For the first time, I missed my dagger. Its absence made me realize exactly how little I owned; no matter what I could get by magic or how many beautiful dresses I wore.

Sighing, I saddled Storm quickly, not wanting to delay my departure. I was too attached to this place already, and I was afraid I would not be able to leave at all if it came to long goodbyes. Once I was done, I heaved myself onto Storm's back. He ran along the beach, preferring a running start when he began flying. He stopped abruptly, however, upon seeing the giant figure of Aslan. I slid off my friend's back and curtsied to the High King above all high kings of Narnia.

"Why are you leaving, daughter of ice?" he asked, padding over to me.

"I cannot stay, Aslan," I sighed.

Aslan looked straight at me, "I believe you are afraid of your feelings for the Son of Adam, dear one. And it is true, that while you are ageless it will be almost impossible for you to be with him, but do not despair."

"What do you mean, Aslan?"

"Your guidance is needed in Narnia and it will be for many, many years." Here, the great lion paused and breathed on me. "You must stay at Cair Paravel, daughter. From now on, while the Pevensie children are in Narnia, you will age as they do, but once they die, or return to their own world, then you will be back to this, an immortal and ageless teenager. For you will be needed not only during the High King Peter's reign, but for hundreds of years after that."

At this, I leapt forward and hugged Aslan, who let out a deep laugh, "Thank you, Aslan. I promise to do all in my power to help Narnia."

"I take it this means we're staying?" Storm stated.

"Yes, Storm, we're staying!" I laughed, racing back down to the beach and up the staircase leading up to the palace, Storm chased after me. His giant bulk shook the earth as his paws thudded on the sand. I didn't bother actually running up the steps, but lifted myself up from the ground and sailed all the way up to the top of the stone steps.

I paused, though when I reached the doors to the throne room and composed myself. When I entered, I wandered away from the crowds, not interested in dancing at the moment. I wandered onto the wide balcony which overlooked the room opposite of the four thrones. I noticed at once that it was already occupied by Lucy and Mr. Tumnus.

"After all, he's not a tame lion," Tumnus was saying to Lucy as I joined them.

Looking out at the beach, I could see that Aslan was wandering away along it, leaving Narnia now that his job was finished.

"No, he's not, but he is good," she murmured.

I leaned against the rail of the balcony, "Aslan is the protector of Narnia. He will come when he is needed, and years of peace usually follow his appearance in Narnia. If he is leaving, it is because he thinks that you will lead Narnia to a new era."

Lucy still looked sad and Tumnus, as if sensing it, reached under his scarf and pulled out a white handkerchief, "You need it more than I do."

She took it and he clenched her hand. When we looked up again, Aslan was gone. Lucy looked as if she wanted to cry.

"He'll be back," I assured her.

There was a moment of silence before she turned to me suddenly, as if remembering something "Weren't you supposed to be leaving today? Peter said you were going with Storm as soon as the coronation was over."

"I was going to leave," I admitted, "but there's been a change of plans. I'm not leaving, at least not for a long time."

Lucy pulled me into a hug, "That's great! Come, we should go tell the others, we were all so sad you weren't going to be around."

She dragged me off, trying to find her siblings. I would tell them all the entire story later, but for now I would just enjoy the party.


	21. Part 2: The Golden Age

Author's note: So, sorry about the long break, but I had to make sure it was perfect. Please check out my profile. I will publish the next chapter once I get 9 reviews. Until then, enjoy! This chapter is pretty much a transition from part 1 to part 2, so I promise the next chapter will be much better.

_Now that you're here (now that you're here),  
It's suddenly clear (it's suddenly clear),  
Sun coming through,  
I never knew,  
Whatever I do,  
It's better with you!  
It's better with you!_

Something about the sunshine – Anna Margaret

Part 2: The Golden Age of Narnia

Chapter 1: Surprise

I knocked on the door to Peter's study, knowing he would be in there as usual. When there was no answer, I pushed open the door and stepped inside. My feet made no noise on the thick carpet. The room was dark, with only a few candles lit. The window was open and through it I could see the moon – just a tiny sliver tonight – and the bright stars of the Narnian sky. Peter was slumped in his chair, his head on the desk cluttered with papers which he had been working at so often recently, asleep.

In the hundred years during which my mother had ruled, there had been little actual government in Narnia. The creatures had been left to fend for themselves while the Witch reveled in her ultimate power. This meant that, now that the long winter was over and my mother dead, Narnia's government had to be reestablished. Peter worked tirelessly to settle all the paper work, making sure that the newly freed kingdom was running smoothly, that is when he was not out eliminating what was left of my mother's forces with Edmund. Edmund had been put in charge of strengthening Narnia's defenses. He had quickly proved that he was a skilled strategist and military leader. While their brothers dealt with putting Narnia's government back on its feet, Lucy and Susan had taken a more personal approach to aiding Narnia into a new age. They had been riding out into every part of Narnia and helping to establish villages and bring all Narnians out of hiding, aiding them in any way possible. Many Narnians had wandered over to the court of Narnia, making it a beautiful, happy place.

I smiled fondly at the blonde king asleep in front of me. In the two weeks since his coronation, I had hardly seen him. He had always been working or off killing some black dwarves or minotaurs somewhere. Silently, my white dress rustling slightly as I walked, I came up behind him, wondering if I should wake him or not. He really shouldn't sleep here, but it seemed like a bad idea to wake him, considering the little sleep he had had. It turned out I did not need to make the decision. As if sensing a presence in the room, Peter let out a sleepy moan and raised his head, stretching slightly.

"You really shouldn't stay up here working so much. You're still only sixteen, even of you are a king. All the others still find the time to go out and have fun."

Peter turned, seemingly unsurprised to see me, "There's just so much to do!" he protested.

"You're a great king Peter, but you won't be much good to Narnia if you get sick from working too much. It's only been two weeks and you've already dealt with most of my mother's remaining forces and established a steady government in Narnia," I encouraged him. "Come, you should go to bed. There's a meeting tomorrow with the council and we can't have you falling asleep during that."

"You're probably right," Peter admitted.

The council had been Peter's idea. It was a group of Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy's advisors, generals, etc… which met with the royals once a week, so that everyone would know what problems there were in the kingdom and what everyone had to do, so nobody would be chasing each other around to make sure everything was done. It had been a brilliant idea, but then again this would only be the second council, so we couldn't be sure if it would work.

I took his hand and we walked out of the study side by side. The corridors of Cair Paravel were deserted at this hour of the night, and we didn't break the silence as we headed for the royal bedchamber that was Peter's room. It was only as we rounded the last corner before we reached the room that Peter stopped abruptly and turned to face me.

"I almost forgot, there's something I need to show you!"

I turned to him teasingly, "What kind of thing?"

"Umm… it's a surprise," Peter hesitated.

"It's late, Peter, go to bed. I'll see this surprise in the morning," I said.

I left him at the door to his room before leaving for my own room and going immediately to bed.

I woke before dawn the next morning, as I almost always did these days, not that I had ever risen much later than sunrise before in the first. I sat up and got out of bed, slipping into a dress which had become my favorite in the weeks since I had been living in Cair Paravel. It had a simple white cotton bodice with thin straps over my shoulders. There were white off the shoulder sleeves made of trailing white organza, though they were more ornamental than anything. The skirt was white cotton draped with white organza and reached just to the floor. I quickly strapped my silver sandals to my feet and left the room.

Oreius had agreed to meet me before the council to discuss all that needed to be discussed at the council this afternoon, so I went to find the centaur. However, I was intercepted by a rather annoyed Edmund.

"Rayna!" he called. "Peter says he wants to see you. He's waiting for you in the south tower. You had better go because he forced me to get up at a crazy hour and I am not going to be happy if he's grumpy all day."

I snorted in a very unladylike manner, "I doubt you'll be happy anyway, Edmund. You never are in the morning."

"Good point."

I laughed and headed off to the south tower. This probably had something to do with the surprise Peter had wanted to show me yesterday, I decided. Once I reached the tower, which took a good ten minutes considering the size of the castle, I saw Peter waiting for me, grinning.

"Edmund found you, then," he guessed.

I nodded, "He wasn't in a good mood. What did you do to him?"

"I pulled him out of bed," he laughed slightly.

"So what is this great surprise? It had better be good the way you've been playing it up."

Peter took my hand and led me up some stairs, stopping in front of a door made out of cherry wood, "Close your eyes," he instructed.

I obliged and soon, I heard a lock click. Peter took my hand again and led me forward into the room. I had never been to this room, so I wondered what was so special about this room that Peter had to make me close my eyes.

"You can open them now."

The room was circular and made entirely out of marble, with a vaulted ceiling and windows all around so that I could see in every direction. There was a small alcove on the north side of the tower, with a vanity table and a small stool, and it was also surrounded by windows. A large cherry wood bed was pushed against one wall, with a large carving of Aslan on the headboard. Two small tables stood on either side of the bed, with beautiful gold candelabras on each one. Two large comfy arm chairs stood in a corner of the room, though not too close to the wall, with a cherry wood coffee table between the two. Gold scrollwork decorated the ceiling of the room. A wardrobe was built into one of the walls.

"Why did you bring me here?" I wondered.

"This is your new room," Peter explained, "Susan, Lucy and I have been working on it ever since we found out you were staying. Edmund thought it was a good idea, but he isn't really good at these kinds of things."

"It's perfect! I couldn't think of anything that would make it better," I smiled.

Peter led me to the double doors which were the doors to the large wardrobe already full of all my dresses. He cleared aside the dresses to reveal a full length mirror in the back wall of the wardrobe. He pushed the mirror forward and I realized that there was a secret door in the back of the wardrobe. Behind it, I could see a steep, narrow stone staircase.

"You put the secret door in the wardrobe? That isn't really original, is it?" I said teasingly.

"Just come on," Peter rolled his eyes.

I followed him up the steps, summoning light to stop let me see up the dark stairs. I supposed Peter had guessed that I would do this, as there were no torches on the wall. The staircase wound steeply up for a while, coming out into a room which was immediately recognizable as a library.

The walls were marble, just like the ones in my room, but these were much less visible, as rows and rows of cherry wood bookshelves covered most of the space, all filled with beautiful old books. The door from which we had entered was covered with a large tapestry depicting Narnia and its surrounding countries. The floor was covered in beautiful rugs and, in a small space where there were no books, stood a wide chimney and in front of it a large armchair. Looking up, I saw that there was a second floor to the library. Bookshelves were put into the wall and there was a balcony that I could get up to reach all of these. All in all, this room was cozy and warm. It felt like home.

Strangely, there was something strangely familiar about the books in this library. I took one off the shelves at random and studied it. The book had a dark green silk cover with swirls embroidered in gold on the cover. The title, also embroidered in gold, was _The Arte of Hypnosis_. Suddenly I realized where I had seen this book. Glancing at the other titles: _Names, Symbols and Objects of Power_, _Breaking Enchantments of the Mind and Soul_ and _One thousand Healing Potions_, I saw that I had seen all of these too.

"These are all from my mother's library!" I gasped.

Peter nodded, "Lucy mentioned that you would miss the books, so we had them brought over. Susan organized them all, she's good at that sort of thing, but I'm not exactly sure how they're sorted, so you might want to ask her. I don't know if you'll want to keep them all but they're all here."

"It's perfect Peter, thank you."

I turned and kissed him. He was right, I had missed being able to curl up with one of these books. When I had lived with my mother in the ice castle, I had spent hours reading, when I was not off flying with Storm or chasing the Witch's enemies. With all of the work I had been doing lately, I felt that I would need this library.

"I'll leave you to read a little while," Peter suggested.

"You know me so well," I laughed.

Once he had gone, I ran my hands along the bookshelves until I found the book I was looking for. It was the oldest book in the library, as well as the biggest and the thickest. The cover was made of leather with a raised leather border done over with gold leaf designs. In each of the corners was a small round moonstone. Two large locks closed the book. The title was painted in gold leaf on the on the cover: _The History of Narnia_. This was my favorite book. It had been gifted to the first king and queen of Narnia, King Frank and Queen Helen, by the enchantress who had served the two rulers. It was magical, expanding to record every event in Narnia's history.

I sat down in one of the armchairs and opened the book. I glanced at the unlit fireplace and it lit on fire, lighting the room. The book had considerably expanded since I had last read it, and so I immersed myself in reading the events of the last two months. Reading about the recent war felt strange. When Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy and I had lived through these events, it had felt scary and not at all brave or glorious or heroic, but the story made all of these events seem like the tale of great heroes in a war, not like the adventures of four children and someone that looked like a child but wasn't.

_And through the eastern door, which was wide_

_open, came the voices of the mermen and the mermaids_

_swimming close to the shore and singing in honor of_

_their new Kings and Queens._

_So the children sat on their thrones and crowns_

_were placed on their heads. And that night there was a_

_great feast in Cair Paravel, and revelry and dancing, and_

_gold flashed and wine flowed, and answering to the music_

_inside, but stranger, sweeter, and more piercing came the_

_music of the sea people._

_ But amid all these rejoicings Aslan himself quietly_

_slipped away …_

"Rayna!" My head snapped up from the book. Lucy ran towards the corner where I sat. She seemed out of breath. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The council meeting starts in about five minutes."

I jumped up, "I'm so sorry, Lucy! I completely lost track of time. Let's go."

And together we raced down the stairs and through the hallways. Luckily, the room where the meeting was to take place was not too far away from the south tower and we reached it in just under five minutes.


	22. Chapter 2: Foreign Aquaintances

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait! I will have to blame it on a very large amount of schoolwork and a huge case of writer's block. I must have rewritten this chapter about 4 times before I ended up with this version. Sorry if it is a little short, the next one will definitely be longer.

I will also try to update MUCH sooner, but school is a little crazy right now so I don't know if I will get a chapter out in less than a week and a half.

If I get **5** **reviews** I will update in two weeks

If I get **8 reviews** I will update in a week and a half

If I get **10 reviews or more** I will update in a week.

I couldn't find a song that went well with this chapter. Does anyone have any suggestions? If you do, please PM me and I will add them to this chapter if I think they fit. If you have any ideas, comments, suggestions, etc…, I would also love to hear them. I will try to take them into account when I write this story.

Thank you for bearing with me through this long AN and the long wait between these two chapters. I truly appreciate those of you who have stuck with me since the beginning. I would list names, but this AN has lasted long enough, so I won't. Thank you!

HecatetheDarkWitch

Chapter 2: Foreign Aquaintances

"Sorry for the wait everyone," Lucy apologized, taking her seat next to Edmund.

I sat slightly farther down the table, in between General Oreius and Mr. Tumnus. The table was rectangular, with four seats at the head of the table, one for each of the four rulers. Down the sides of the table were the rest of the generals and advisors that formed the council. In the center of the table was a large map of Narnia and the countries surrounding it.

"Now that we're all here," Peter gave a pointed look at Lucy and me, "We can begin. Edmund?"

Edmund nodded and got up, "We have managed to stamp out the remainder of the Witch's troops, largely thanks to Oreius. Those that are left have retreated to the north. They aren't causing any trouble for now."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Oreius nodded. "Our defenses have also been strengthened, especially at the north, where it's wilder. The giants may still give us some problems."

"He's right. The Witch made treaties with them. They were given many rights and they mostly left us alone except when she called on them to fight for her. However, now that the Witch's reign is over they will probably ask for a new treaty and I doubt you'll want to agree with what they'll request. They won't take that very well. We'll have a full out rebellion on our hands within the next year and with the giants involved, it could get ugly," I explained.

Peter and Edmund both turned to me, "What kind of things will they ask for?"

"Well, the White Witch gave them a large amount of territory and let them pillage any houses they found. She also gave them some of her prisoners every year, all for a tribute and service in her army whenever she needed it."

"What do you mean some of her prisoners?" Lucy asked.

"You don't want to know."

Peter took over the conversation then, "I don't believe that we can do much about the giant situation for now. As it is they are leaving us in peace for the time being so I suggest that we leave the situation at rest until they send us any requests they might have."

Everyone at the table nodded.

"Now, we agree that the immediate problems inside Narnia itself have been solved. There are some issues that will have to be looked over for how Narnia will prosper in the long-term, namely the giants and the remainder of the rebel forces, but on the whole we have a strong government established and a country at peace. Are there any other issues that need to be discussed?" Peter took up the conversation.

Tumnus rose, "If I may, Your Highness, it is true that Narnia is running quite smoothly, but shouldn't we worry about our neighboring countries? I doubt they know much about what's been happening in Narnia."

"I would advise your majesties to send out ambassadors to reestablish relations with Calormen and Archenland as well as reconquer the Lone Islands," Oreius finished.

Peter nodded, "Rayna, what contact have we had with other countries in the past hundred years?"

"Well, there were parties sent out to the Lone Islands every twenty years or so to make sure they were still under our control. As for Calormen and Archenland, we have had no contact with them except for a failed attempt to conquer Archenland about thirty-seven years ago."

"So it would be a good idea to send delegates to all three countries. I suggest Oreius goes to Calormen and Rayna to Archenland. Then maybe Sephiroth can go to the Lone Islands," Susan suggested, speaking for the first time.

Sephiroth was a leopard who had joined the court about a month and a half ago and had quickly proven himself hardworking, smart and reliable.

"That's not the best idea," Sephiroth spoke up. "I wouldn't object to being sent to the Lone Islands, but the Calormenes aren't very accepting of anyone – er – not human."

"And besides," I intervened, "they don't really like me in Archenland. I can't explain, but it's probably not the best idea to send me over there if you want to reestablish peaceful contact with them."

"Okay," Susan sighed, "So Rayna can't go to Archenland and we need to send someone human to Calormen."

"Why don't we go ourselves?" Lucy suggested.

"That may be a good idea," Edmund agreed. "How about Peter goes to Calormen and Susan and Lucy go to Archenland. Sephiroth can still go to the Lone Islands and that'll leave the rest of us here to oversee the country."

"That's actually quite a good idea!" Peter smiled.

Which is how, barely a week later, Edmund, Oreius, Tumnus, Storm and I stood on the beach, waving goodbye to the three Pevensies as well as Sephiroth. Peter was in one ship, the _Lion's Mane_, with about 20 men (though none of them were actually human) which would be going to Calormen and Sephiroth along with the Beavers and 15 other creatures were in another ship, the _Horizon_, which would sail towards the Lone Islands. Lucy and Susan were mounted on horses, ready to leave for Archenland over the mountain pass with their entourage, mostly made up of naiads.

"We'll see you in a few weeks," Susan promised those of us waiting.

"Really? Couldn't you stay away a little bit longer than that? I think I'll really enjoy not having you to breathe down our necks," Edmund laughed.

Susan sighed, "You'll never change, will you?"

"Nope," Edmund smirked. Storm laughed at the exchange and I joined in.

"We'll be fine Susan!"

I glanced at Peter, who was leaning over the side of the ship, "And you'd better not worry about us the whole time. You'll irritate King Lune to death!" he joined in.

There was a call from somewhere on the _Lion's Mane_, "Sire! We should be leaving before the tide goes out."

Peter glanced back and I noticed that the _Horizon _was already pulling out of the small bay, "Goodbye!" he called and then he turned back to go meet whoever had spoken. A few minutes later the ship pulled out of the bay.

Lucy and Susan didn't wait around much longer after that. Once they had said their goodbyes, they turned their horses and left. They would cross the mountains in about a day or so, and then go on to Anvard, hopefully to make an alliance with King Lune of Archenland.

True to Susan's word, the two sisters were back three weeks, with news that King Lune as well as his pregnant wife, who would be giving birth in about 3 months, would be coming to Narnia to speak with Edmund and Peter in a month.

The two girls at once began planning banquets and dances for the arriving monarchs. I was dragged into the preparations too, though not completely unwillingly. Edmund, however, spent most of his time running away from his sisters, especially Susan, as they berated him with party plans.

When Peter came home from his journey to Calormen, looking exhausted and incredibly annoyed from the Calormene politics, he grudgingly announced that the Calormenes had refused any kind of treaty between the two countries. Sephiroth's trip had gone well and when he came back he announced that the Lone Islands were well governed and recognized Narnia's rule. The governor of the Lone Islands would be coming to Narnia around the same time the Archenlanders, which just heightened Susan's stress at making sure everything was perfect.

I knew that, with both the Lone Islanders and the Archenlanders coming, there would be no pranks, running around or escapes into the forest with Storm. We would be wearing formal clothes and having banquets every night. I wouldn't be able to spend as much time shut up in my library either. In summary, this was not the ideal situation for me.

There was still my problem with Archenland. Ever since my mother had sent me to conquer the country 37 years ago, I had avoided the southern border of Narnia. However, there was no way I could avoid the Archenlanders for their entire stay. I would eventually have to face them. I just hoped it wouldn't affect Narnia's relations with Narnia.

As the day of the visitors' arrival drew near, Susan and Lucy grew more and more stressed. Lucy made up for it by talking incessantly. She spent hours talking about Queen Asteria and the baby she was about to have, as well as the new friends she had made in Archenland. Susan spent her time snapping at the smallest things and correcting everyone's manners. Peter shut himself up in his study to avoid his sister and I took a similar approach, spending most of my time either in my library or out with Storm when I wasn't grudgingly helping Susan and Lucy. Edmund did not take such a tactical approach. He had frequent arguments with Susan which alerted the whole castle and then proceeded to storm out to the training field and thrash whoever was out there in swordfighting.

Finally, the day of the Archenlanders' arrival came. The Lone Islanders would be coming in a few more days. Susan, Lucy, Edmund and Peter rode out to meet the Lone Islanders, taking General Oreius and Sephiroth with them. The rest of us, that is to say the Beavers, Storm and I, were left at the Cair to put the final touches to the banquet and ball which would take place that night to welcome King Lune and Queen Asteria. By the time they returned we were waiting at the main entrance of the castle.

"I think I see them coming!" Storm announced.

Storm's sight was far better than ours, better than even the most keen-sighted eagle, so it was a while before we spotted the kings and queens of both Narnia and Archenland. Once they got closer, I studied King Lune.

He was older than the last time I had seen him, when he was leading his army to battle against the witch's army. His dark brown hair had turned grey and he had grown a short gray beard. He had taken on some weight too. I had a feeling he wouldn't fit into the armor he had worn then either. His face was happy and carefree, and I could tell he was a very jolly man.

The party stopped in front of us. Susan spoke, making introductions, "King Lune, we would like to introduce to you some of our closest friends: Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, Storm and the Lady Rayna."

Lune glanced at me and his face filled with surprise, "I believe that Lady Rayna and I have met." His tone was not at all a positive sign of what was to come.

"I was hoping you wouldn't remember," I said, half under my breath.


	23. Chapter 3: A Talk With the King

Author's note: So here it is, exactly on time. I got exactly eight reviews and so this chapter came out in a week and a half. Thank you to those that reviewed: Ella Unlimited, Paramore–Is–A–Band–People, TheLostHeroinesOfOlympus, ForeverTeamEdward13, Crystal–Wolf–Guardain–976, Elizabeth Zara, princess emma of narnia and blueberrybird28.

I will also try to update just as fast, but school is a little crazy right now so I don't know if I will get a chapter out in less than a week and a half.

If I get **5** **reviews** I will update in two weeks

If I get **8 reviews** I will update in a week and a half

If I get **10 reviews or more** I will update in a week.

I still haven't found a song for the last chapter, please help me. Does anyone have any suggestions? If you do, please PM me and I will add them to this chapter if I think they fit. If you have any ideas, comments, suggestions, etc…, I would also love to hear them. I will try to take them into account when I write this story.

Thank you for bearing with me through this long AN and for reading this story. I truly appreciate those of you who have stuck with me since the beginning. Thank you!

HecatetheDarkWitch

_Let's go back  
Back to the beginning  
Back to when the earth, the sun, the stars all aligned  
'Cause perfect didn't feel so perfect  
Trying to fit a square into a circle  
Was no life  
I defy  
Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams  
Let it wash away  
My sanity  
'Cause I wanna feel the thunder  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down  
I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean_

Hilary Duff – Coming Clean

Chapter 3: A Talk With the King

All of the people present turned in puzzlement, except for Storm, who pressed against me protectively. Thankfully, none of our audience asked questions. Susan soon launched into a "welcome to Cair Paravel" speech about a minute later and I was able to avoid direct confrontation with Lune for the rest of the afternoon as he was given a full tour of the castle and I left the castle, spending the afternoon with Storm.

I only returned to the castle to get ready for the ball that evening. I dashed immediately up to my room began to get ready. I slipped into the dress which had been made for me for the ball tonight. It was a white and blue ball gown which was simple and yet somehow elegant and sophisticated at the same time. The dress was sleeveless. There was a sky blue fabric covering the top part of the dress's bodice and underneath it was white fabric embroidered with delicate silver patterns which trailed down to a point beneath the waist line. At the waist was a simple blue ribbon. The skirt flared slightly from the waist and was hemmed with a wide piece of blue fabric which came up in points. There was more silver embroidery separating the white fabric and the blue. The dress was floor-length with a small train (pic on profile). Underneath it I wore a pair of simple white silk heels. The only makeup I wore was a small amount of blue dust on my eyelids and light pink on my lips. My hair was left loose, falling down my back in its natural dark blonde waves and I wore no jewelry except for my pendant.

Once I was done, I glanced at the clock and, seeing it was time to go, I left my tower room and walked slowly to the dining hall, which had been set for a huge banquet. I was joined on my way down by Peter, who was dressed in red and gold, looking every inch a Narnian king, despite being only sixteen.

He smiled and kissed me lightly on the lips, "You look beautiful."

"So do you," I whispered against his lips.

Peter held out his arm, suddenly formal, "Shall we join the others for the feast, my lady?"

I took his arm, "I would be honored, your highness."

We laughed in unison and strolled down the hall gracefully. The guests were already gathered. Once we reached the dining room, Peter and I separated and went to our respective seats, Peter at the head of the table and me slightly farther down. We waited a while until everybody arrived. Usually, it would have been Edmund who arrived late, but never when there was food. It was a dwarf, Nerak, who arrived last, sitting quickly down at his seat.

We began our dinner. There were 8 courses at this meal, so it was about three hours before we finished eating. The food was delicious, of course, but light enough that we could eat our fill and still be able to dance at the ball later on.

"Now that we have finished our meal, I suggest we all proceed to the ball room," Susan rose from her seat next to Peter's, her black dress swishing around her.

The dress was black satin and tulle. It was form-fitting until the waist and then flared out dramatically, the fabric trailing elegantly behind her. The bodice was adorned with flowers and silver beading, as was the dress' one shoulder (pic on profile). The dress made her crystal blue eyes stand out dramatically. She looked mature and elegant, like an experienced ruler, instead of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Lucy wore a very different but equally beautiful dress. It was a pinkish lilac color, greek-style dress. There were thin straps, to which were attached silver chains which draped over her back and chest and a draped strip of fabric which attached to her wrist. Criss-crossed pieces of fabric adorned the waist. The skirt fell around her legs with a long train. Her hair, which had grown out a bit, was curled and pinned up on her head. She was beaming, as usual.

The ballroom was decorated in red and gold for the occasion, looking very Narnian. Music was playing from where the band was stationed up on the ceiling. The Musicians had a platform there, suspended above the ballroom, so that it would seem to the dancers down below that music was coming from the sky.

The four Narnian rulers as well the Archenlanders waited before entering, going around in order to come down the grand staircase leading into the ballroom. Peter and Susan came down first, closely followed by Lucy and Edmund. Once they had reached the bottom of the staircase, it was King Lune and Queen Asteria's turn to descend the staircase. Then, the dancing began.

I was immediately swept up by one of the knights which had accompanied Lune in a lively dance. We danced in and out in between the other dancers. Once, we brushed past Peter, twirling his smallest sister around joyfully. He looked at me and mouthed something,

"Save me the next dance."

I had no time to respond as the dance immediately drew us apart, but it was obvious to both of us that my answer was yes. Sure enough, when the next dance came, a slow sarabande, I joined Peter on the dance floor.

"You should save a dance for the other girls, Peter. After all, you are high king," I teased about five dances later.

"I want to spend the night with you, Rayna, not with any of those other girls," he smiled back at me.

"I know, but I swear that girl over there is about to burn a hole in my head with her eyes," I pulled away from him. "Just one dance, I'll be outside waiting for you," I gestured to a small door leading outside, showing him where I would be.

He sighed and walked over to the girl I had pointed out. I smiled slightly and his reluctance and walked outside. The door I had pointed out lead to a small balcony, with stairs leading down to the cliffs on which the castle was located. I lifted my skirts and began to descend the stairs but was stopped by a voice, calling out to me. I turned in time to see King Lune, coming after me.

I waited for him to reach me. I could no longer avoid Lune, so I didn't try to avoid his gaze as he studied my face. We did not speak for a long while, each of us trying to determine the other's thoughts. Finally, Lune spoke.

"We should talk," he stated, matter-of-factly. I had a feeling it wasn't a suggestion.

"Perhaps we should," I agreed.

He began to stroll along the cliffs and I followed, walking alongside him.

"You attacked Archenland," Lune began

"Yes."

"You lead the Witch's army."

"Yes."

"You wanted Archenland to be under the Witch's control."

"No."

"And yet you are here, with the rulers that defeated Jadis," he continued as if he hadn't heard. "You are here, looking exactly the same age as you were 37 years ago."

I turned to face the king, "You are right in all but one of those accusations. True, I was the one that lead the attack on Archenland 37 years ago, under the command of the Witch, and I am here now, ageless and a trusted friend of the kings and queens. But I did not want Archenland to fall to the Witch." Lune looked ready to interrupt but I held him back.

"Let me explain to you. I used to be a servant of the Witch, though I will not tell you why, but my loyalties dissolved when I came to realize what she was doing to the Narnians. I stayed on, however, and used my knowledge of the White Queen's plans to help the Narnians.

"And now we come to the attack on your country. I never intended to win the battle. I used the excuse of inexperience on the battlefield later, but I made the plans so that there was no chance of winning."

"And you expect me to believe that you would willingly send your entire army to death just to save my country!" Lune burst out.

"I am not expecting you to believe, I am merely telling you what happened. You are free to believe what you want. Besides, our army was over twice the size of Archenland's, with a powerful witch leading the army. You could never have beaten us if I wanted Archenland for the Witch.

"When the Four came to Narnia, I helped them because I wanted to be free of the eternal winter. And when the war ended, they asked me to stay at Cair Paravel. I accepted and I have been here ever since. That is all that you need to know, except for this: do not question my loyalty to Narnia, because it is unwavering and never ending."

I turned, my blue and white skirts whirling around my ankles, and strode back to the ballroom, not looking back. Lune could believe what I had told him or he could not, but whatever he decided, I would not let it bother me.

Peter joined me as soon as I reentered the crowded ballroom, "I was looking for you, where were you?"

"Out for a stroll," I answered shortly, "Come dance."

He sighed and pulled me close to him, one hand at my waist and the other linked with mine. The dance was a waltz, the first dance we had ever done together. Peter spun me round and, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lune eyeing me. He was gone in a second, though, as I came back around to face Peter.

King Lune stayed for 3 more weeks. We established a sort of uneasy alliance, polite and civil on the outside, though never completely trusting of each other. In the years that followed, this did not change. Narnia and Archenland became allies. Susan, Peter, Lucy and Edmund however became great friends to Lune and his wife, and mourned when she died soon after her eldest son, Cor, was taken away. It was obvious that she had never gotten over the loss.

I had not aged in years before the Golden Age began, but as the years went on, I found myself looking older, aging as the Pevensies did. I continued on as advisor to the kings and queens and in time gained a new title: Enchantress of the Court of Cair Paravel.

It was an ancient title. Every single Narnian ruler had had a user of magic, either a warlock or an enchantress, at their service. When my mother had taken over Narnia, she had killed the warlock serving the last queen of Narnia and any other who showed magical talent. It had been Lucy's idea, once I had told her the story, to reinstate the title.

So, 14 years later, I was still living in Cair Paravel and still passionately in love with the High King.


	24. Chapter 4: Rabadash

Author's note: So here it is, sorry I'm a little late. I got over fifteen reviews, way more than I was expecting. Thank you to those that reviewed: Ella Unlimited, Paramore–Is–A–Band–People, TheLostHeroinesOfOlympus, ForeverTeamEdward13, Crystal–Wolf–Guardain–976, Elizabeth Zara, princess emma of narnia, CrazyDyslexicNerd, gossipgirl21, GlidingOne, earth17, Leanora, SMILEH123, dancexallxnight, Calyn.

I will also try to update just as fast, but school is a little crazy right now so I don't know if I will get a chapter out in less than a week and a half.

If I get **9** **reviews** I will update in two weeks

If I get **11 reviews** I will update in a week and a half

If I get **17 reviews or more** I will update in a week.

I still haven't found a song for chapter 2, or this chapter, please help me. Does anyone have any suggestions? If you do, please PM me and I will add them to this chapter if I think they fit. If you have any ideas, comments, suggestions, etc…, I would also love to hear them. I will try to take them into account when I write this story.

Thank you for bearing with me through this long AN and for reading this story. I truly appreciate those of you who have stuck with me since the beginning. Thank you!

HecatetheDarkWitch

Chapter 4: Rabadash

_October 14, 1013 – Cair Paravel, Narnia_

"Announcing Prince Rabadash, son and heir of the Tisroc (may he live forever) and the delegation from Calormen!" the crier could be heard all the way from the harbor.

Susan, Lucy and I were standing on the balcony looking out at the ship and the people getting off it. Edmund and Peter were in the council room, discussing battle plans with Oreius. The giants were stirring up some trouble in the North and the two kings were planning a raid to stop them from causing any more damage, so it had been left to the two queens to great the visiting prince.

"Come on, Su, we should go down to great them," Lucy advised.

Lucy sighed, "Yes, I suppose we should."

With that, the three of us strolled down to the beach, passing the new apple orchard which we had planted at the gate just a few days ago, where Prince Rabadash stood waiting for us with a crowd of Calormene men and women, all looking at us with contempt written on their faces.

"I bring the greeting of the venerable Tisroc (may he live forever), for your majesties and the hope that we may form an alliance with Narnia," Rabadash began.

"Greetings, Prince Rabadash, I am Queen Susan and this is my sister Queen Lucy and the Lady Rayna, Enchantress of the Court of Cair Paravel. We would like to welcome you to Cair Paravel and hope that Narnia and Calormen can come to an agreement that we have not been able to reach in past years," Susan smiled, her manner exactly that of the Gentle Queen.

Lucy was smiling warmly, as she usually did. She did not like the Calormenes, no Narnian really did, but she would not let it affect the way she greeted her guests and Susan would not either. Lucy and Susan were people who would always put the comfort of their guests before their personal feelings, no matter how much they liked people. Not many people saw their fierce side, but the two sisters were lethal in battle and when upset very hard to deal with. Edmund had once given Susan the title of Queen Susan the Raging Dragon after one particular episode which had involved a two-hour lecture from a very annoyed Susan as Lucy, Peter and I rolled on the floor laughing so hard.

I, however, was not so easily persuaded to trust the Calormenes. As Susan welcomed the visitors, I studied them closely, trying to see if any of them looked as if they posed a threat or were going to start something. I kept a polite and welcoming expression, but did not let my guard down for a second.

Susan apologized for Edmund and Peter's absence, and then talked for a few minutes to the Calormenes. I tuned her out, paying no attention to the conversation until Lucy turned to me.

"Rayna, do you think you could show Prince Rabadash as well as the tarkaans and tarkheenas to their rooms? I know Mrs. Beaver was going to do it, but she's got that nasty cold…" Lucy trailed off.

"Of course I will," I agreed, though unwillingly. "Please, follow me."

I gestured towards the castle, letting Prince Rabadash go ahead. Calormenes tended to be picky about rules like that: always walk a few steps behind royalty. As I guided Rabadash down the corridors, I tried to ignore the comments he made about the creatures that were walking down the halls. In any other circumstance, I would probably have responded with either a biting response or a sword to the neck, but Narnia and Calormen had had a less-than-friendly relationship since the Golden Age began. This was our chance to have peace between the two countries and I would not ruin it, no matter how much I hated Rabadash.

Sighing, I opened the door which led to Rabadash's suite. Once I had gotten rid of the prince, I walked out to the gardens. It was still warm, but with a cold breeze which told us that winter would soon be coming. All the Narnians were spending as much time outdoors as possible before the cold came. Of course, I had never really felt the cold like any other Narnian creatures, but I still wanted to take advantage of the good weather.

The gardens were beautiful in fall. You could see the fiery colors of the garden from almost every part of the castle, except those that faced the cliffs and the sea, which were equally breathtaking.

Edmund joined me, looking worn out. I guessed that the war council had been grueling. The giants had been anything but peaceful since the coronation of the four Pevensies, but they were a formidable opponent and we were forced to beat them back every few years.

"Has Rabadash arrived?" Edmund asked.

I gritted my teeth, "Of course he has, and he's already managed to thoroughly irritate me."

"Well, he is a Calormene. Nobody likes them much, but they're too powerful to defeat in battle. It's only because of the desert that Narnia has not been attacked yet."

"I know that, but it is hard to be in a good mood around him when he's insulting everything he sees," I sighed.

A shadow flying over and a flap of wings caused us to look up, stopping Edmund from commenting. Storm landed beside us, stretching his wings before tucking them back at his sides.

"Are you talking about Rabadash? I saw him earlier. He shrieked like a girl and then started talking about demons walking the earth and then he started mumbling something about Tash," Storm chuckled.

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

"Who knows," Edmund shrugged. "Where is Rabadash, anyway?"

Storm turned his massive neck to face Edmund, "I think I saw him through one of the windows as I was coming to find you. He was with Susan."

"She was probably giving him a tour," I decided, "Su's into that kind of thing. What about Peter?"

"What about him?" Edmund asked stupidly.

I rolled my eyes, "Do you know where he is?"

"Oh, he went to his office to finish some paperwork after the meeting ended," Edmund informed me.

"Peter works too hard. When the last time he's taken a day off?"

"Well, we took a few days off for that hunting trip three weeks ago and there'll be a day of celebration on Samhain (AN: That's Halloween for those of you that don't know) for the traditional festivities," Storm retorted.

I ignored Storm, "I'm going to see if I can pry him away from his desk for at least a few hours before the ball tonight to welcome the Calormenes."

It took only a few minutes to reach Peter's office. Peter was, as usual, hunched over his desk, which was covered in papers scattered everywhere. It took me a while to get the High King away from his work and out into the fresh air, but once I did I ran ahead, lifting my skirts up to dash across the lawn. Peter gave chase and quickly caught up to me grabbing my waist and pulling me down with him. We rolled over a few times in the grass as we fell, finally stopping in a fit of laughter.

Peter was sprawled on his back on the grass and I lay beside him on my side, with one arm across his chest supporting me up. The part of my hair which wasn't pinned into place was draped over my right shoulder. The golden-haired High King underneath me grinned and kissed me. His hand slid to the back of my neck and he pulled me closer. I didn't protest but kissed him back, only breaking away when the need for air forced me to.

"Aren't we a little too old for this?" Peter joked. "After all, we are almost thirty (AN: Peter is now 29 and Rayna looks around the same age, though she's really 99. Susan is 28, Edmund 26 and Lucy is 25)."

"You are almost thirty, I only look that old," I corrected him.

"So you're even older than me, you should be more mature than me. How old are you anyway?"

I pretended to be offended, "Don't you know better than to ask a woman about her age? But you're right; we are too old for this. We should be discussing boring topics and dancing at balls." I ran my hand through his golden hair.

"We do dance," Peter objected, playing with the necklace dangling down from my neck.

"Yes, we do." I got up, pulling Peter up with me. He twirled me and then dipped me down low, both of us laughing.

"And I am a very good dancer, if I do say so myself."

I gave him a skeptical look, "I think you are the only one that does say that."

"Hey!"

Laughing, I kissed him again. He dropped me into the grass and I pulled him down with me, our lips never breaking apart. Finally, we separated, gasping.

"We are definitely too old for this," I decided, causing both of us to laugh uncontrollably.

Three hours later, both of us had left for our separate rooms to get ready for the ball to welcome Rabadash. It was nothing unusual. Peter spent most of the evening dancing with me, Edmund running from anyone who tried to get him to dance and Lucy dancing with everyone. The only strange thing that happened was Susan, who danced with Rabadash most of the night. Susan had had many suitors, but she hardly ever paid any real attention to them but she seemed to really like the Calormene prince.

She spent more and more time with Rabadash over the next few weeks and, when it was time for the Prince to leave, she agreed to come down to Calormen as soon as spring arrived and perhaps marry Rabadash. Edmund and I would come with her as well as a few more delegates. Peter would be leaving around the same time to fight off the giants. Lucy would be left at Cair Paravel.

That winter was uneventful. We were at peace with all our neighboring countries and only the giants posed any threat. The Calormenes seemed to have accepted our treaty, though they were talking of sealing the alliance with a marriage. As much as I hated Rabadash, Susan seemed smitten with him and I wouldn't protest with whatever made her happy. Besides, it might stem her constant onslaught of suitors.

I had had my fair share of suitors in the past few years. It had taken Peter and my combined force to ward the worst of them off, but I still got the occasional suitor, not that I paid them any attention. Susan had even more suitors than I did and I wouldn't mind getting rid of them.

I could handle Rabadash, as long as Susan was happy.


	25. Chapter 5: A Secret Engagement

Author's note: So sorry about the long wait, but this is such a special chapter I had to make sure it was perfect. I've been planning this for a long time, but I wanted to make you wait for it. Sorry, I couldn't resist. It appears I waited too long, though, because I had soooo many people request it, or anticipate its arrival.

I feel that it is the perfect time for this chapter, and the excitement will only grow in the next chapters, I promise.

I can't predict when I will update, but I can promise that the more reviews I get, the sooner the next chapter will come. Considering how much I love this chapter, I need 12 reviews to publish the next chapter.

Thanks to all of you that reviewed! This AN is already to long for me to list the names, but that doesn't make me any less grateful for your support.

I found this song last week, and I think that it is the perfect Rayna/Peter theme song. Usually I hate the Beatles, but I have to admit this is a good one.

Enjoy!

HecatetheDarkWitch

_There are places I'll remember  
All my life though some have changed  
Some forever not for better  
Some have gone and some remain  
All these places had their moments  
With lovers and friends I still can recall  
Some are dead and some are living  
In my life I've loved them all_

But of all these friends and lovers  
There is no one compares with you  
And these memories lose their meaning  
When I think of love as something new  
Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life I love you more  
In my life I love you more

In my life – the Beatles

Chapter 5: A Secret Engagement

_March 25, 1014 – Cair Paravel_

"This is nice," I sighed, leaning against Storm's side as he curled up beside me.

Spring was just starting to show itself in the weather. This was the first opportunity Storm and I had had to go out in the nice weather and we would probably not have another for a long while.

The air wasn't warm, but fresh, with a cool breeze ruffling Storm's feathers. The sun was out, though, and the grass was green. Flowers were just starting to bloom and the trees had small, new leaves on their branches. We stood on a wide plateau, a place Storm had found a few years ago while on a hunting trip. Of course, he had insisted on showing it to me and now we came here often, which is to say when the weather was nice and I didn't have any pressing matters to attend to at the Cair.

I should have been with Susan and Edmund, planning the last of the details for our upcoming trip to Tashbaan in just two days, or with Peter who would be leaving to battle the giants in the North tomorrow, but I had escaped to spend tie with Storm, who would not be coming with us.

From the place where Storm and I rested, I could see a good part of Narnia. Cair Paravel was nothing but a tiny, shining dot in the distance, close to the sea. No matter how many times I flew with Storm, I could never truly get used to how much distance he could cover in only a short amount of time.

"I wish you would stay," Storm commented. "We both know the Calormenes aren't trustworthy and who knows what they'll do if Susan refuses to marry the prince. I highly doubt they'll take it well."

Storm had moved his long neck so that he could look at me, "You've been saying that for a while. That's exactly why I'm going. Susan's too trusting and we both know it. Edmund's more suspicious, but he still believes we should trust them. Of course, Peridan and most of the others agree with me, but I'm not letting them anywhere near Calormen without me."

"I can see there's no convincing you," Storm admitted.

"No, there's not," I agreed. "Speaking of Susan, we should head back before she notices I'm gone. I swear Rabadash has put her even more on edge than she usually is on other trips."

"Maybe Edmund was right: she should have been called Susan the Raging Dragon," We both laughed.

I stood, brushing grass off my dress, and swung myself onto the dragon's back. He stretched his gigantic wings out and we were in the air.

It didn't take long for us to reach Cair Paravel. When we arrived, I immediately rushed off to find Susan, who was snapping at Edmund for a rude comment on her Calormene suitor. Once she noticed me, she turned her attention away from Edmund long enough to give out an exasperated,

"Where were you?'

"Out," I didn't bother elaborating and went off to pack for the trip.

I didn't get very far, however. The weather was too nice for spending time inside. I wasn't even tempted to go upstairs and read, something which hardly ever happened. Sighing, I leaned out of the open window of my room, enjoying the fresh air. Far below, Peter was sparring with Peridan, a general who would be accompanying us to Tashbaan.

I watched as their swords flashed in the air. Peridan and Peter were both great warriors and their skill was obvious in the way they moved. The two blades were invisible, just silver flashes in the air, clashing louder. The two warriors were laughing as they fought. With a quick movement of his sword, Peridan knocked Peter flat on his back, then slashed down with his sword. Peter rolled out of the way and was back on his feet in a second. His strikes redoubled and he got Peridan on the defense in a few seconds. With a complicated twist of his sword, Peter disarmed Peridan, his sword going to Peridan's throat.

The two opponents laughed and separated, going for the buckets of water kept ready for any who needed them at the edge of the sparring circle. It was hot out, so the men grabbed a bucket each and tilted their heads back, pouring it down their Over their heads, into their mouths and down their shirts.

Looking up, Peter caught a glimpse of me, leaning out of my window. He set down the bucket and smiled up at me, gesturing for me to come down.

I smiled and swung my legs over the windowsill, sitting on the edge of the wall. I kept my hand to the wall to steady myself, then jumped down, the air whistling around me as I plummeted to the ground. I let the air carry me, slowing my fall so that I landed gently on the ground.

"I don't think that will ever stop to frighten me," Peter commenting.  
I laughed, "You should be used to it after 14 years of me jumping to my death every other day."

"Perhaps I should be," he admitted. "Would you walk with me? I need to talk with you."

"Of course I will."

We walked side by side for a while, enjoying the spring air. Our hands were entwined, but other than that, we did not touch, merely content to stroll together.

"You look beautiful," Peter complimented me.

I looked down at myself. The dress I wore wasn't anything special, though it was one of my favorites. The bodice was simple, white fabric with a scoop neckline. It had no adornments. There were two sets of straps holding the dress up. One, which looked like a strand of flowers, ran over each of my shoulders and another, also made of fabric flowers, was off the shoulder. A piece of white, veil-like fabric wrapped around my arm, trailing down from the off-shoulder straps. The same white flowers adorned the waist of my dress. The skirt was a piece of light, draped fabric which trailed to the floor (pic on profile).

I wore the same silver sandals that I had worn 14 years previously and my hair was styled the same way as always, though I now wore a circlet which showed off my status as Enchantress of the Court of Cair Paravel. It was made of white gold which wrapped around my head in an intricate pattern of swirls. In the center, resting on the middle of my forehead was an opaque, whitish round stone: a moonstone. Two pieces of metal trailed down from the bottom of the stone, wrapping around each other (pic on profile). Other than that, the only jewelry I wore was my pendant.

A small dagger, made of crystal (pic on profile) and given to me as a gift on the day I had been given the title of Enchantress in replacement for my old, silver one, was tucked into the straps of my sandal, but I no longer carried my sword everywhere.

"Thank you. I'd say the same to you but you're…" I searched for the right word.

"Sweaty and drenched?" Peter suggested.

"Exactly." We both laughed lightly.

Peter led me into a glade of trees, where a stone bench rested under a large oak. This was our favorite part of the garden. The trees provided shade and privacy and it was a good place to rest and talk. It was impossible to count how much time Peter and I had spent here, so I was not surprised that it was here Peter had brought me. We sat together for a while, kissing in the shade of the trees, not talking, but reveling in the silence.

"I've been meaning to talk with you for a few days, but Su's been keeping you away from me," Peter began after we broke apart.

I laughed, "Take that up with her, not me. I don't think you'll come out in one piece though."

"I don't doubt it."

"Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" I prompted him.

Peter took a deep breath, as if he was nervous, and then got straight to the point, "I love you, Rayna. I've loved you since the moment I met you." He took both my hands in his and looked directly in my eyes, "And I want you to marry me." He finished.

His eyes were sincere and I found myself unable to look away as I answered, "I've met many people in my life, but you are the one I will remember most. Nothing could make me happier than to be your wife."

I looked down as I felt Peter drop my right hand. He took my left hand and slipped something onto my ring finger. I raised my hand so that I could study the ring better. The ring was a simple band of white gold. I light blue stone, I guessed it was aquamarine, was set in the metal, framed by two Celtic knots (pic on profile). It was truly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"I love it, Peter," I whispered against his lips, kissing him.

He smiled, "I hoped you might."

"So, when are we going to announce this to the other king and queens of Narnia?" I wondered.

"That's the interesting part. I was hoping we could keep this secret for a while."

"How long of a while are we talking about?" I asked.

His smile grew even wider, "Until the engagement ceremony, of course."

"Perfect!" I caught on to his plan. "We can have it after we return to Cair Paravel."

"That's right."

I fingered the engagement ring on my hand, "I suppose that means I can't wear this yet."

"Or we can hope they don't notice," the High King suggested.

"We can," I agreed, "But I think it's a better idea to do this."

I let darkness cloak the ring, hiding it from view but still leaving its cool touch on my hand. Peter took my hand again, as if to check if it was really still there. It was still on my finger, though, a hidden promise of our love to each other.


	26. Chapter 6: A Calormene Welcome

Author's Note: So sorry for the long wait, but I was on a school trip to Barcelona, and then I had to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4. It was awesome. 12 reviews and I will update. Thanks to all of you who reviewed

Chapter 6: A Calormene Welcome

_March 28, 1014 – Onboard the Splendor Hyaline_

"We'll be arriving at Tashbaan soon," Susan informed me.

I sighed, "I know. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

"You could be more positive about this, you know."

"That would require me actually liking them," I remarqued. "Actually, it would require me actually being able to abide them. Still, I suppose I can't tell you who to love."

"But you don't trust him? Or any other Calormenes?" She concluded.

I turned away from the flat expanse of sea that I had been looking at from the railing of the ship and faced her full on, "Honestly, Susan, it's not that he's a Calormene. I've met a few decent ones in my life, though I'll admit that I find most of them sinister. It's the way Rabadash looks at us and treats us. He may be perfectly charming when you're around, but he's downright rude the rest of the time. So no, I don't trust him."

Susan bit her lip slightly, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I know how you feel and you know how I feel. Could we just enjoy the nice weather? After all, the _Splendor Hyaline_ is beautiful."

I laughed, "That she is! I pity the poor suitor who thought it would make you agree to marry him."

"It almost did," She admitted, giggling.

I rolled my eyes. Susan was right, though. The royal ship was beautiful, as well as fast and practical for battle. Standing on her deck, leaning over and feeling the cool wind on my face was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.

"Land Ho!" The call came from above. Sure enough, we could soon see the rapidly approaching coastline of Calormen.

"We should get ready, we need to look our best for our arrival. I don't want my hair to be all messy from the wind," Susan rushed off.

I followed her, quickly reaching my cabin. Of course, it was really Peter's cabin, but there were only four nice cabins on the deck and two small, cramped ones for guests. Since neither Peter nor Lucy were coming on this trip, I had been given the High King's Cabin as my own. Prince Corin of Archenland, who was accompanying us on this trip, was inhabiting the youngest queen's cabin.

I didn't get changed, but rearranged my hair – which _was_ slightly windblown – and made sure my circlet was in place. Quickly applying a small amount of makeup to my face, I looked out of the cabin's wide windows to see we were just docking in.

I raced up to the deck, standing with the crowd of Narnians waiting to leave the ship. A crowd of Calormenes stood at the dock, waiting to greet us. Rabadash was at the head of the group.

Corin, the prince of Archenland, ran up to me. For some reason, he displayed puppy-like devotion to me, even though I was not on good terms with his father. I suspected it was mostly due to the fact that, unlike the two queens of Narnia, I spent a lot of time either outside with Storm or out in the sparring field, when I wasn't in my library or helping to handle any of Narnia's problems. Corin was excitable and boisterous and definitely not afraid to get into fights. I had a feeling he would get into quite a lot of trouble sometime on this trip. He always did.

"I hope they're not all going to be stuffy nobles. I won't have anyone to box with," he complained.

"You could always try your hand at swordfighting. You can't survive battles just by using your fists," I suggested.

"I am perfectly good at swordfighting, Lady Rayna," he protested. "I just don't like carrying a sword around all the time. Besides, boxing people is much more satisfying than just settling it with a duel."

This was typical Corin.

"Just don't do anything rash, Corin. It shouldn't be so hard," I advised, beginning to make my way off the _Splendor Hyaline_. Rabadash wasted no time in greeting Susan, with not a single word to us.

Soon, we were on our way through Tashbaan. Rabadash had provided a litter for himself as well as Edmund and Susan. The rest of us walked behind them. I tried to shut out the crier's calls of "Way! Way!"

Personally, I was glad I was walking. The litters were too stuffy for me and I did not like to be treated so above the others. From Edmund's face, I could tell he hated it too.

We finally reached a grand villa, surrounded by gardens. It was cool and beautiful inside. Calormene villas were one of the truly beautiful things of the country I usually disliked. Its walls were cool and white, its windows domed and pointed at the top. The furniture was beautifully made, covered in silks and precious cloths.

With a reminder of the feast to be held that evening in honor of our arrival, Rabadash bowed and left.

I picked up the dress I was to be wearing that evening, studying it. It was truly beautiful, finely made. It had a tight bodice which spread out at my waist to become a full skirt with a small train. The sleeves were off-the shoulder, made of crimson fabric embroidered with white flowers. They wound around my shoulders and wrapped around my chest. One of them wrapped over the other and ended in a point over my left breast. From this point, a few crimson and white flowers trailed down to my hip. Where the flowers ended, the skirt of the dress was slashed to reveal a piece of crimson fabric embroidered with the same white flowers as the sleeves (pic on profile).

For shoes I wore only plain white silk slippers. I wore little makeup, just a little silver on my eyes and crimson on my lips. The color was dark enough to match the crimson of my dress. I had removed my usual circlet and I wore my hair so that it hung loose to one side of my head, my dark blonde curls tumbling over my right shoulder (pic on profile). Two roses, one red and one white, were pinned to the right side of my head, a little above my ear.

Satisfied with the results, I lifted my skirts slightly and strolled over to Susan's room. She looked beautiful, even though her hair was not yet finished and she was still applying her makeup.

Her dress was beautiful, as always. It was made out of lavender chiffon, wrapping tightly around her body all the way down her hips. A sash wrapped around her hips and where it ended came many layers of chiffon, waving vertically down to the floor, where it pooled around her feet. Behind her, the fabric spread out in a long train (pic on profile).

"Let me help you," I picked up a brush and began taking it through Susan's hair. "Edmund is probably moaning about how girls take too much time getting ready. Let's not keep him waiting too long."

"Thank you, Rayna."

"No need to thank me. After all, you do not want to look anything less than perfect for Rabadash."

Soon enough, Susan's raven hair was up in a stylish bun and we were making our way down to the rest of the party, which was already ready and waiting for us. Edmund, impatient as always, was not in a good mood, especially since it was taking Peridan, Tumnus and himself a huge effort to try to get Corin, who was even less impatient than Edmund, calmed down and looking like a real prince of Archenland. We set off and, soon enough, we were at the palace of the Tisroc.

The place was lit up, full of laughter and celebration. As the Prince's honored guests, we were escorted to a low table, where we sat down on silk cushions. Once all the guests were seated, only two seats remained. Soon, Rabadash was announced, then, with a great fanfare of trumpets the Tisroc came to sit down.

The meal was brought out on silver platters by slaves. Each and every platter held something new and different. I sampled some of what the slaves offered as they wandered from table to table. Once the meal was well underway, girls clad in skimpy tops and long skirts decorated with dangling coins danced in, waving their hips and obviously attempting to seduce the male guests. I hated it, but ignored the dancers and kept on eating.

I was relieved when the dancers left, but unfortunately it got worse. The High Priest of the Temple of Tash came in, carrying a pure white kid.

"The Priests of Tash welcome the Narnian royals and their friends to Tashbaan and, in the hope that our noble Prince may find himself a bride, we will make a sacrifice to the great and honorable Tash," he announced to the crowd, lifting the small animal to the eagerly awaiting crowd.

I left then. It wasn't that I couldn't stomach the sight of death, after all, I'd seen plenty of it before, but I couldn't stand the rituals Calormenes performed in the name of Tash. Besides, the Tisroc's garden was rumored to be even more beautiful than Cair Paravel's. I highly doubted it.

Once I was outside though, I realized that the gardens were beautiful. Personally, though, I preferred the natural, peaceful beauty of the gardens to the colorful, over perfumed carpets of flowers scattered throughout the gardens. Picking a spot near a small, decorated pond, I let myself fall into the grass, my skirts spreading around me in the grass.

I dipped my hand in the water, which had freshly picked lotuses floating in it, pulling it out and letting the water rise with my fingers. I dropped my fingers and the water stayed in the air, making pretty patterns as I focused on it.

Something caught my attention and the water splashed back into the pond. I stood up, glancing around, trying to catch the flash of gold I had seen just a second ago. I didn't see it, but something on the ground caught my eye. I bent down and studied it. It was a cat's pawprint, but larger than I had ever seen, except on one golden cat.

"Aslan?" I called peering through the darkness.

And then I saw him. Aslan stood in front of me, as huge and regal as ever, though I was sure he had not been there a second ago. I ran forward and hugged him, then pulled back, though I kept my hand running through his mane.

"I am glad to see you, Aslan," I said honestly. "Why are you here?"

"Come, dear one, we must speak, but not here."

Aslan gave a flick of his tale in the direction of a small glade of orange trees, indicating that we should go there, away from the sight of the palace windows. I followed him, and soon we were hidden in the sweet-smelling trees covered in small blossoms.

I turned to the lion, "What is it? I know you would not be here unless it was important."

"It is. You will meet a boy in Tashbaan. He will not be a Calormene. You will know him when you see him. He will save Archenland from a great danger. Keep a watchful eye out."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you must be ready to act, daughter of Charn," Aslan's deep voice gave no room for protest, though he knew I would not anyway.

I nodded, then remembered something I had not thought of, "Wait, does this have anything to do with Guardeaon's prophecy, the one about the Prince Cor."

"It has everything to do with that, dear one," he said, disappearing into the night.

This left me puzzled. Corin's brother, Prince Cor, had gone missing, stolen away after the centaur Guardeon had prophesied that the prince would save Archenland from great danger. Could Cor really be coming back? I didn't know what to think of it, but that didn't stop my brain from going a thousand miles an hour to try and understand what this might mean for both Archenland and Narnia.


	27. AN: Important!

Author's note:

For some strange reason I have less time to write during the summer than I do during the school year. I have an incredible amount of summer work and am away without internet access the rest of the time. To top it off, my computer has been weirding out on me lately and I have had to back up all my fanfiction work to make sure I don't lose it.

I am still working on this story, but I will probably not be able to write anymore until sometime in September. I hope you will bear with me and keep reading and reviewing my story.

Until next time,

HecatetheDarkWitch


	28. Chapter 7: The Boy Comes to Tashbaan

Author's note: Sorry about the long wait. I blame it on homework, tests, writer's block and my computer breaking down.

This chapter, and those which follow, are based on the book _The Horse And His Boy_ by C.S. Lewis, as a movie has not yet been made. You do not need to have read the book to understand this, however, and I hope you will keep reading even if you have not. I will be tweaking a few things, mainly the language, as the characters in the book do not speak like they have in my story so far.

I have been looking for a while, and have finally found a perfect actress for Rayna: Mia Wasikowska, the way she looked when she played Alice in Tim Burton's _Alice in Wonderland_ movie. I have posted some pictures of her on my profile, if you want to see.

I also found a picture which is perfect for Rayna and Peter, which you can find on my profile as well. It is mostly fitting for what happens at the end of the Golden Age when Peter leaves, and I think it captures the spirit of the two.

I would love some reviews. I have 190 right now and I hope I can get 200 before the next chapter is published. When I get ten reviews, I will update the next chapter

I will send puppies to any that review!

Keep reading,

HecatetheDarkWitch

Chapter 7: The Boy Comes to Tashbaan

Two weeks later, we were still in Tashbaan. Susan was apparently still undecided and Rabadash was becoming impatient. He and his nobles were beginning to drop more and more frequent hints, which I liked less and less. I had even taken to wearing my sword under my dress at all times, strapped to my legs and within easy reach. My small crystal dagger was strapped to my waist at all times, presenting a challenge to all Calormenes.

I was not the only Narnian getting paranoid. Edmund kept sending suspicious looks at any who came his way, and Peridan and the other soldiers had been keeping their hands on their sword hilts.

That morning, one of the lords was holding a small party to which we had been invited. Unfortunately, the rest of the guests had no idea how to hold up an interesting conversation. I had been spending time talking with Darian, one of the youngest soldiers to accompany us, just to avoid the Calormene lords.

"Lucy is probably out having fun right now, instead of being bored to death by some stuffy Calormenes," I sighed.

"We will be back in Narnia soon, Lady Rayna," Darian assured me. "Queen Susan is bound to make her decision soon enough. Though, I do regret missing the springtime. It's the best time of the year –"

"Lady Rayna, may I be the first to tell you how stunning you look today."

I turned to see the Tarkaan Anradin, his fingers stroking his crimson-died beard. I fought the urge to groan. The man had developed stalker-ish behavior towards me. Reluctantly, I turned to greet him.

"It is a pleasure to see you, Tarkaan Anradin. Have you heard any more on that horse you lost a few weeks ago," I curtsied slightly.

"No, though it is not important. I will find another better than the last one," he brushed the issue away. "Perhaps we could talk."

I'd have loved to decline the invitation, but it would unfortunately not have been polite. So, I had no choice but to accept. Taking the tarkaan's hand, I followed him to a more secluded corner of the room.

"It truly has been a pleasure spending time with you," he smiled sickeningly. "I know I have only been in Tashbaan for a week, but I have spent every minute thinking of you."

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're getting at," I prompted.

"With the prince's possible marriage to you Queen Susan, Calormene and Narnia will be allies. I wish to strengthen our ties even more, through marriage with one of Narnia's most important noblewomen."

"Are you proposing, Tarkaan Anradin?" I asked, horrified.

"Excuse me, but I must speak with Lady Rayna," I turned to see Lord Peridan, looking at Anradin expectantly.

"Of course," I agreed, "excuse us." I followed Peridan.

"You looked a little too glum back there," he explained.

I grinned, "Thank you, Lord Peridan. Just because they don't want to offend Rabadash by flirting with Susan so they go after me. It's annoying. Anradin actually tried to propose!"

"Don't tell Peter, he'd probably get jealous," he joked, then laughed at my expression. "Relax, the party's almost over anyway. We can leave as soon as Edmund can get the Tarkheena Lasaraleen to stop taking."

"That could take a while," I commented.

An hour later, we had managed to pull Edmund away from the clingy tarkheena and said goodbye to Rabadash and were on our way back to our small villa, laughing the entire way home. Unlike the Calormenes, we all walked, without using litters like all the Calormene lords and ladies.

I was with Edmund at the head of the procession, just behind a few guards and the Calormene crier who always managed to irritate me with his call of "Way! Way! Way! Way for the White Barbarian King, the guest of the Tisroc (may he live forever)! Way for the Narnian Lords!"

"Have you had any news of Corin, Edmund?" I inquired casually as we walked.

"None."

"I'm beginning to get worried. I thought at first that it was just another one of his little escapades, but he's never been gone this long."

"I don't suppose you could find a way to track him down with magic," Edmund wondered.

I nodded, "I didn't think we'd have to resort to it, but I'll try when we reach the villa."

"Are you sure it'll work?"

"Of course. Do you really underestimate me so much?"

Edmund didn't dignify this with a comment. Instead, he decided to change the subject.

"Have you heard anything from Peter?"

My hand drifted unconsciously to where my engagement ring rested, still invisible, on my finger, a habit I had acquired since Peter had given it to me. I shook my head.

"Nothing, but I don't suppose it's his main priority, what with all the trouble in the North."

"You're right," Edmund agreed.

Edmund's eyes, always observant, fixed the spot on my left hand, where my fingers were busy playing with the invisible ring.

"Why do you keep doing that?" he asked suspiciously.

I faked innocence, "Doing what?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. It's not the first time, either. What are you hiding?"

He reached for my hand and studied it, puzzled. Reluctantly, but knowing it was only a matter of time before Edmund guessed, I withdrew the shield of darkness surrounding the ring, making it visible once more. It took Edmund about half a second to put two and two together.

"Who's the lucky man?" he teased.

I grinned, "Who do think?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise," I admitted. "We were going to throw a party and announce it once we got back from Calormene and the giants were dealt with."

"Meaning you didn't want Queen Susan the Raging Dragon to get involved," he joked.

"Exactly."

"She's going to lose it when she finds out."

"Which is why you're not going to tell anyone," I reasoned.

"Of course not! I'm happy for you, you know. I was starting to think he'd never get around to asking you."

"Thanks, Edm–" I was interrupted when Edmund called to the rest of our party.

"There! It's Corin!"

Sure enough, standing in the front row of the crowd pressed against the walls to let us pass, holding the bridle of a white horse who was coated in dirt, was the young prince of Archenland. Edmund raced forward and grabbed Corin by the arm, pulling him into the crowd of Narnians quickly gathering around him.

"We've been worried sick! Don't you ever think before you run off? It's been an entire night! Where were you Corin?" Edmund reprimanded him.

Corin gave no reply, only looked at us. He looked back at the horse whose bridle he had been holding, as if it would help. It was a beautiful white warhorse, with powerful limbs, but he had obviously been disguised as a pack horse, with only a length of rope for a bridle and sacks on its back. The horse's tail had been cut messily and it was quite dirty, but it was still obvious to anyone who knew anything about horses that the stallion had been bred for war, not pack work.

"Where did you get the horse, Corin?" I asked, taking its bridle.

There was still no reply.

"It's not like you to be so quiet. Come, let's get you home. You can explain later," said, sending Edmund a meaningful look.

The king seemed to get the message and let go of Corin, "Peridan, will you keep an eye on the prince until we get back. Susan will kill me if anything happens to him just when we've found him again." He gestured to one of the soldiers to take the horse from me but I waved him off.

We set off once more. As we walked, Edmund questioned Corin, making the young prince look more and more nervous.

"Stop interrogating the poor boy. You can ask him all the questions you want when we get back."

The rest of the walk was spent mostly in silence, at least where Edmund, Peridan, Corin and I were concerned. The horse walked beside me and, for a second, I swore I could see it studying me. Surprised, I looked up at the horse, eyeing it more closely. I caught an intelligent gleam in its eye, unmistakable to any Narnian. The warhorse may be trying to look like a dumb beast, but it was easy to see it was a talking horse.

How had Corin found a talking horse in Calormen?

Something was wrong here.

It was then that it clicked. From a distance, there was nothing wrong. Prince Corin had been found unharmed and our time in Calormene was going well. But there were several small details that made no sense. For one thing, Corin wasn't acting like Corin. The young prince was hardly ever quiet, especially not after one of his escapades. After any adventure, Corin's approach was to tell it to anyone who would listen. For another, there was the horse. Talking animals were native to Narnia. Finding one in Calormen, was a rarity in itself, but the horse was obviously a well-trained war-horse, yet he was disguised as a simple pack-horse. It made no sense.

Unless Corin wasn't Corin. Aslan had told me to look out for Cor. After all, the two were twins. It was easily possible that, if the two were in Tashbaan, one could be mistaken for the other.

I had little time to ponder this, as we had arrived at the villa which was ours for the duration of the stay. Edmund and the others went inside, while I led he horse around to the stables, wanting a private word with Cor's companion.


	29. Chapter 8: Bree, Shasta and a Plan

Author's note: I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for not updating. I have exams this year which means I have had almost no time, especially with my mother driving me crazy over studying. Add computer problems and writer's block to my insane school life and it means I haven't been able to write anything in months.

I might not update again until sometime in July but I will try to update again as soon as possible. Until then, reviews are like air to me. They keep me alive, and I can't really write if I'm dead…

Chapter 8: Bree, Shasta and a Plan

The charger walked tamely into an empty stalls, incidentally the one next to which Phillip, one of the few talking horses to accompany us on the journey, had made his home. I undid the clumsy rope bridle and began brushing him down, loosening the bits of dirt from his pelt. Underneath, his coat was a gleaming white.

"Tell me, friend. How is it you came to be in Calormen? I have never met another of your kind here."

The horse continued to munch on hay as if it had not heard a word I said. I had a feeling it would take a while to persuade him to talk. However, I didn't need to say anything else, as Phillip intervened.

"You should stop pretending. Any true Narnian can tell you are a one of us. Why bother hiding? You are safe with us."

"And here I thought you had no diplomatic skill whatsoever," I commented.

"Well it appears he does," the horse spoke for the first time. "You have convinced me to talk, after all."

"If you are talking now, may I ask your name?" I inquired.

"Bree, at least that's what the boy calls me. He can't seem to pronounce my true name."

"And the boy, who is he? You must know he is not the prince of Archenland."

"He calls himself Shasta. I found him in the south, though he's obviously either Narnian or Archenlandish."

"Then how did he come to be in Calormen?"

"A fisherman took him in. Found him in a lifeboat which had drifted to shore. I assume he was shipwrecked. Of course, the boy was only a child then. He doesn't remember anything."

"No," I agreed, "but you'll find even a small bit of information can be of great help when you know how to look at the bigger picture."

"You have not told me your name, lady. I cannot help but think that your name is important, if you are able to piece together information so well."

"Rayna, though you may have heard of me under another name: the Silver Dagger," I replied coolly.

Bree looked taken aback, but merely said, "It seems your name is important, then."

"It seems so. Now, I hope you are more comfortable. It may be a while before something happens. I have to go attend to business, but I will keep you informed and make sure Shasta is safe," I promised, before putting leaving the stables.

As I walked into the large, airy room where most of the Narnians were gathered, I noticed that everyone seemed to be fussing over Cor, or rather Shasta. He wore a rather dazed expression as fauns, dwarves and humans handed him cool drinks, fluffed his cushions and generally tried to make him as comfortable as possible. I had no doubt the boy had never seen this much luxury in his life, and it was not at all surprising that he was overwhelmed. Once they were satisfied that "Corin" was comfortable, Edmund and Susan turned to their own conversation.

I joined them just as Edmund asked, "Have you finally decided whether or not you're going to marry Rabadash? It's been two whole weeks and I'm honestly getting sick of Calormen."

"It's not Calormen itself that bothers me," I said, "so much as the Calormenes themselves. If one more of those slimy tarkaans gives me that greedy, obsequious smile they all seem to wear, I swear I will show them exactly how much pain I am capable of putting them in."

"And then you wonder why people think you're scary," Edmund commented.

"Honestly, you two!" Susan sighed. "But if it really makes you feel better, then I'll say that I have absolutely no intention of marrying Rabadash."

"Thank Aslan!" Edmund cried. "I always wondered what exactly you saw in him."

"Yes, I suppose I was rather stupid. He was perfectly polite while we were in still in Narnia. But now that we're here, he's shown a completely different face. Every day, I find him more and more repulsive."

"Ah!" Sallowpad, a talking raven, cawed. "It is an old saying: see the bear in his own den before you judge him."

"That's very true, Sallowpad," one of the dwarves agreed. "And another is 'come live with me and you'll know me.'"

"I can't think of any more appropriate statement when it comes to Rabadash," I conceded. "He's proven himself to be a proud, bloody, cruel and conceited tyrant."

"Then we should leave right away," Susan decided.

"There's only one small problem with that, Su. I have to admit something that's been on my mind for the past few days," Edmund said. "Peridan, look out and make sure that no one is watching us."

"What is it, Edmund? You look like we've all just received a death sentence," Susan cried, suddenly worried.

Edmund sent me a worried glance, and I knew he intended to reveal to Susan the suspicions that we had shared concerning Rabadash's intentions.

"Look, Su," he began, "I think there's something I should tell you, and you should brace yourself. We may be in very grave danger."

"What is it Edmund?"

"I don't think that leaving Tashbaan will be quite as easy as we believe. Rabadash treated us as honored guests while he thought you might accept his proposal, but by Aslan, as soon as he has your refusal, we will be no better than prisoners."

"I warned you your Majesties," Sallowpad burst out, "Easily in but not easily out, as the lobster said in the lobster pot!"

"I don't think your sayings will help us much now, Sallowpad," I said. "I happen to share Edmund's opinion. I don't believe that I am the only one who has heard things to make us doubt the sincerity of the Calormenes' intentions. Rabadash is used to getting what he wants and he is incredibly prideful. On top of that, there's his temper. I don't doubt that he will not take well at all to Susan's refusal."

"Would he really force me to be his wife?" Susan gasped.

Edmund placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder, "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

"But how can he?" the Gentle Queen cried, "Does he really think that any of us would let him? It would mean war between Narnia and Calormen. Can they really underestimate us that much?"

"I don't believe that the Tisroc is very fearful of Narnia," I guessed. "Compared to Calormen, Narnia is a very small country, one that the Tisroc would love to conquer. He would jump at an excuse for war."

"Let them try," challenged one of the dwarves. "Our navy is equal to his, and if he wants to attack by land, he has the desert to cross."

"Is the desert really enough to stop an entire army?" Edmund wonders.

"I know the desert well," said Sallowpad, "for I have flown over it many time. No army could cross it if they went by the great oasis. The spring there would never be large enough to quench the thirst of all those men and their horses. However, there is another way."

I could have sworn Shasta perked up his ears at his point.

"Anybody who wants to go this way must start from the Tombs of the Ancient Kings and ride northwest so that the double peak of Mount Pire is always straight ahead of him. And so, in a day's riding or a little more, he shall come to the head of a stony valley, which is so narrow that a man might be within a furlong of it and never know that it was there. And looking down that valley he will see neither grass nor water nor anything good. But if he rides on down it he will come to a river and can ride by the water all the way into Archenland."

"Do the Calormenes know this way into Archenland?" asked Susan.

"I hardly think it matters," I put in.

"She's right," said Edmund. "It does not matter who would win the war if it broke out. We need to figure out how to get out of this city. After all, there will be nothing we can do to win a war if we are trapped here."

"This is a reasonably defensible house, sire," intervened Peridan. "And none of us are afraid to use our swords if we must."

"I do not doubt your bravery, and I am sure we would all fight to the death, but there is no doubt that they would overwhelm us eventually."

Susan looked as if she was either about to burst into tears or o into "raging dragon" mode. She sank down into a chair.

"This is all my fault! If only…"

"Don't think like that, Su!" her brother comforted her. "We've gotten out of worse situations than this." He turned to me, "Rayna, is there anything you can do?"

"With magic you mean? I can most definitely help if it comes to fighting, but combat magic will only get us so far. I cannot defeat the entire Calormene army single-handedly, nor can I transport all of us away from here."

"But you could get a few people away from here?" Peridan asked.

I nodded, "I could make a small group of people invisible so that we could get out of the city, or transport them by air. However, my power is not great enough to take the entire party. And I will not leave any of us behind, if that is what you are insinuating."

"But, my lady, surely the most important thing is that their majesties and yourself get away safely."

"No," I snapped, ending the matter. "I will not leave anyone be – Mr. Tumnus, what is the matter?" I looked at the faun in concern. He was pacing back and forth in agitation, clutching his goat horns.

"Don't speak, I'm thinking. Just wait a minute."

There was an agonizingly long silence as Tumnus continued to pace. The only sound in the room was the noise of his hooves against the marble floor. We all stared at him, wondering what he could be thinking of.

Finally, he spoke, "the only problem is how to get down to the ships – with some stores too – without being seen and stopped."

"Yes," said a dwarf dryly, "just as the beggar's only difficulty about riding is that he has no horse."

"Wait, wait," Mr. Tumnus snapped impatiently. "all we need is some pretext for going down to our ship today and taking stuff on board."

"Yes," Edmund said doubtfully.

"Well then," began Tumnus, "how would it be if you invited the Prince to a great banquet to be held aboard the _Splendor Hyaline_ tomorrow night? Let the message be worded to give the Prince the idea that Susan is weakening to his proposal. And then," Tumnus continued excitedly, "everyone will be expecting us to be going down to the ship all day, making preparations for our guests, as if he really were having a feast. And then, we can board the ship tonight, as soon as it is dark and then away to Narnia."

"And then Rabadash will be clueless to our escape until the morning, by which time it will be too late," I smiled at the idea.

"You have saved us all!" Susan exclaimed, standing up and rushing to hug the faun.

"It is decided then," Edmund agreed. "Now, we need to start preparing as soon as possible."

The assembled Narnians began to walk out of the room, eager to leave Calormen as soon as possible. I followed, and caught Tumnus's arm just as we were out of the room.

"Mr. Tumnus, could you fetch Corin a meal?" I requested, having not forgotten the young prince Cor. "And keep an eye on him? I have business to take care of, but it is vital that he be kept safe."

The faun seemed puzzled, but nodded. "Of course, my lady."

I smiled and began to walk away, "If anyone asks where I am, tell them I am making preparations for our journey."

Hopefully, Shasta would still be here when I got back, but in the meantime, I needed to find the real Corin before we left and he ended up stuck in Tashbaan.


	30. Chapter 9: Farewell to Tashbaan

Author's note: I'll spare you the painfully long author's note filled with apologies and excuses. I know it's been a while since I updated. I consider this chapter an apology. Now go read it and please review.

Chapter 9: Farewell to Tashbaan

I hurried through the streets of Tashbaan, following the footprints appearing on the ground. It had taken me barely a minute to cast a simple spell which enabled me to see where Corin had stepped. Earth was, after all, in my realm of control. As long as the prince traveled over solid ground, I could easily track him.

No one saw me as I walked. That was just one of the many benefits of invisibility spells. A lady who was obviously a northerner and a noble attract far too much attention walking through the streets. Nobles never traveled through the city without an escort. And finding Corin would be almost impossible if everyone I crossed in the streets stopped to stare at me.

I had been heading down several small, obscure alleys, following my tracking spell, when the rocks suddenly turned sharply and began speeding up. I was now trotting in the opposite direction, back to where our villa was. Hopefully, this meant that Corin was trying to find his way back. Then again, knowing Corin, he could just as easily be running from someone and just happened to be heading in that direction.

As it turned out, Corin wasn't running from anyone, thank Aslan, although he was rather cut and bruised, his fine clothes ripped. I caught up to him just five minutes away from the house.

"Rayna, what are you doing here?" he asked, his usual smile in place.

"In case you haven't noticed, you have been missing for almost two days. I was looking for you. Where have you been, Corin?" I said, not really annoyed. This was after all typical Corin, and I would not have found Shasta if it weren't for Corin's vanishing act.

"Well – " he began, but I cut him off, guessing that he was going to start recounting his entire adventure.

"Never mind. Come, we need to get back. I'll explain everything on the way."

As we walked, I told him about the boy who had been mistaken for him, and about our escape plans. I kept it short, seeing as we had only a few minutes before we reached the villa, but I managed to tell him everything important. Everything, except that the boy was actually his brother.

I stopped him just below the window of the room which held Shasta.

"Listen to me very carefully, Corin. This is very important." Corin seemed to understand my urgency, because he didn't say anything, a rare thing when it came to Corin. "I'm going to levitate you up through that window. Your double should be in there. Switch places. Tell him to come out the window and wait until I come back with the horses. And when you see King Edmund, tell him I'm taking his horse."

He nodded, "Is this another one of you schemes? It is, isn't it? You can tell me what this is about, you know, I won't tell anyone."

I laughed lightly, "Of course not. Now come on, we don't have very long."

He nodded and I summoned a gust of wind to lift Corin up. He let out a whoop as he went flying through the window. Turning away, I walked around to the main entrance of the house and headed into the stables. As I entered, Bree and Phillip looked up expectantly.

"Time to go," I said in response to their questioning looks. "Shasta has a destiny to fulfill and he's not going to do it by staying here. We have to leave Tashbaan as soon as possible."

Bree gave a questioning whinny, "We?"

"Yes, I'm coming with you. It is my duty to protect Shasta, and I can't do that by staying here, which means Phillip and I are joining you and your boy on your little adventure."

Bree looked as if he was going to protest, but seemed to think better of it, "Very well."

"Perfect. Now come, we should hurry."

I saddled and bridled both horses as quickly as possible, then led them back around to the window. Cor looked up as I came into view. He seemed glad to see Bree safe, but eyed me warily. The boy studied me closely, then opened his mouth and let loose a stream of questions.

"Who are you? How did you know I wasn't Corin? What do you want with me?"

I cut him off before he could continue, "I am Lady Rayna, Enchantress of the Court of Cair Paravel, Mistress of the Elements, Protector of the Kings and Queens of Narnia, etcetera, etcetera. You'll find I have many titles. Believe it or not, my only wish is to help you. Now, I believe you were heading to Narnia. Shall we leave?"

The look on the boy's face was both confused and astounded. Finally, he seemed to pull himself together, "We have to go to the Tombs of the Ancient Kings. Our friends Aravis and Hwin were supposed to meet us there if we got separated."

"Very well," I agreed. "I suppose our conversation from earlier interested you, if you want to cross the desert."

Cor turned a slight pinkish color, "I'm sorry if it looked like I was spying. I wasn't, honestly! I was just – "

"I know, Shasta. You were taken by mistake. None of it was your fault, "I reassured him.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, suddenly, defensive.

I laughed lightly, "Do relax, Shasta. Your friend Bree told me about your journey together. I'll admit it took a while to get him to talk, but Philip finally convinced him that we could be trusted." I gestured to my mount, "This is Philip, by the way. Now, shall we go? Somebody will notice we're gone sooner or later, and I would love to avoid a confrontation with Edmund about why I stole his horse."

I swung myself up into the saddle and waited as Cor did the same. Together, we rode through the streets of Tashbaan. As we passed, the crowds milling around in the streets crushed themselves back against the wall to let us pass, casting curious glances at the noble foreigners travelling through their city. Cor seemed uncomfortable at being stared at, but he looked straight ahead and didn't speak, at least until we reached the top of the hill and began to descend towards the northern gate of the city.

"Won't people question us? I mean, we are attracting a lot of attention. Shouldn't we be trying to blend in?"

"None of the Calormenes question those who are of higher rank than them. Besides, we're obviously not Calormene, so trying to blend in would be rather redundant. No, as far as any of them are concerned, we are Narnian nobles going for a ride in the countryside."

"But…" he began to protest, but then realized that my logic was flawless. He shut his mouth again and we went back to riding in silence. This time, however, I could practically see the avalanche of questions forming in his head. I couldn't honestly blame him.

I turned slightly in the saddle in order to study him more closely, something I had not truly had the time to do before now. The boy looked almost exactly like his twin, but he was missing the many cuts and bruises that Corin always wore as a result of frequent wrestling matches. He was rather shabby, not too clean and with ragged peasants clothing on. Unlike Corin, the boy's mannerism was shy, unsure and suspicious, and yet I could see the kind soul underneath in the way that he looked at the ragged starving children in the streets and the slaves in the markets we passed. I could tell that, if he had the power, he would help those he felt needed it. There was nobility in him, however deeply hidden it was. He would be a good king, if given the chance.

"You are burning with curiosity, aren't you?" I guessed. "I suppose it is natural. You don't know me and I'm not known for being particularly generous with information. I will answer your questions, I promise, but now is not the time. Once we have reached the tombs and no one can overhear us, then we can talk."

Cor nodded in agreement.

We reached the northern gate at sunset, and passed through without problem. The journey from there to the Tombs of the Ancient Kings was not long, and Cor seemed to perk up slightly, eager to see his friends.

The tombs were built on the edge of the desert, and each one was shaped like a giant stone beehive, with a small, dark entrance on one side. The place was deserted of course, as the Calormenes were terrified of ghouls who supposedly haunted the place. I had never been one for superstitions, but the place was hardly comforting. There was no sign of Aravis and Hwin.

"We should look for them. They'll be on the far side of the tombs where they can't be seen," Cor suggested.

I was not in the mood to go traipsing around the tombs in the dark, and so I shook my head. "No, they can't be. Look at the sand, there aren't any tracks. No one has been here in a long time or it couldn't be this smooth. Your friends must still be in the city, which means they will be stuck there for the night. The gates close at sunrise."

"We'll just have to wait for them then, my lady." Cor said.

"Call me Rayna, Shasta. I only use titles with people I don't like. Come, we'll stay on the desert side of the tombs."

We found a spot against one of the tombs and unsaddled the horses. They shook themselves out and lay on the ground and we rested against their flanks. We had no wood to burn for a fire, but it was warm enough and I summoned a small orb of light to hover over us like a miniature sun. Cor looked on in wonder when I used the magic.

"Now, I told you that I would answer any questions you have," I prompted once we were settled, "but I also want to know more about you and your journey, so I will make a deal with you. I will tell you why I want to help you, but you will then tell me your story."

Cor considered this for a minute, and then nodded.

"You should understand, though, that I will tell you all that I can, but that you have stumbled on something bigger than you think, and there are things that should not be revealed until the time is right. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Cor agreed.

I paused to think of the best way to phrase this.

"I have been protecting Narnia and its rulers for 14 years now, and I will continue to do so for as long as I am needed. I came to Calormen with King Edmund and Queen Susan on invitation of Prince Rabadash, who wishes to marry Queen Susan. I suppose you know this much already. Early into our stay, I stepped out into the gardens during a feast. There, I found the great lion Aslan waiting for me. He told me to watch for a boy to come to Archenland and protect him. This boy is to fulfill a prophecy made years ago by a centaur. That is why it is my duty to protect you."

Cor seemed incredulous, "You think that I'm the boy?"

"Do you truly think that your coming was a coincidence? Think about it: just as Prince Corin disappears, a boy who looks exactly like him shows up, with a Narnian horse no less, and happens to hear just the information that he needs to be able to continue his journey. If that is not enough to convince you, however, there is also something else. The prophecy I spoke of pertained to a boy who disappeared shortly after, when he was just a baby. From what Bree has told me, it was around that time that your father found you. Nothing as strange as that just happens for no reason."

"It seems you were right, my lady," Bree admitted. "It is indeed the details which help in making up the bigger picture."

"What did the prophecy say, exactly?" Cor asked.

"It said that you would save Archenland from the greatest danger it has ever faced." Upon seeing Cor's horrified face, I quickly went on to reassure him, "I would not worry overmuch, Shasta. Prophecies are generally vague and open-ended. We cannot be sure of what the danger is, and it does not always take much to prevent something from happening. I doubt you will be asked to lead cavalry charges or anything like that anytime soon. Now, perhaps you will consent to tell me of your journey."

Author's note: For those of you who do not know much about the Horse and his Boy, an explanation of the plot so far will be in the next chapter, which I will try to post as soon as I can.


	31. Chapter 10: Shasta's Adventures

Author's Note: I am trying to make up for the long delay by publishing more chapters as quickly as possible. Please review, it really gives me motivation to keep writing: the more reviews I get the quicker I write.

As promised, an explanation of what Shasta/Cor has done for the first part of the Horse and his Boy is given. I hope this clears it up for those of you who haven't read the book. An explanation of the mechanics of magic also snuck its way in here somehow. I never intended on going into such a detailed explanation of the way magic works, but I did think about it a lot on writing this story, so I hope you like it.

Sorry if this chapter is a little boring. It really is more of a transition chapter, because Cor is supposed to have spent an entire day doing nothing while he waits for Aravis, and I needed to somehow get through that. Not to worry, the plot will start to get more exciting soon.

In the meantime, please, please, please REVIEW!

HecatetheDarkWitch

Chapter 10: Shasta's Adventures

As it turned out, Cor's skills at storytelling were mediocre at best. The boy stumbled through his story, often skipping ahead and backtracking. Bree cut in often to add points or specify details. Because of this, the tale was a jumbled mess and took far longer to tell than was actually necessary. I did, however, manage to get a good understanding of the lost prince's journey.

He had been raised by a fisherman named Arsheesh, who had found him after he drifted ashore in a small rowboat as a baby. One day a crimson-bearded Tarkaan – Anradin, as Bree called him – had arrived at their small hut, riding Bree, and asked for hospitality for the night. Cor had been turned out f the house, leaving Arsheesh and the Tarkaan to talk. Instead of simply settling down in the stables to sleep, however, Cor had eavesdropped on the pair.

What he heard was this: the Tarkaan wished to buy Cor as a slave. Arsheesh, no doubt trying to bring up the price of the boy, had argued that he could not give up his own flesh and blood, a fact which the Tarkaan did not hesitate to question. It was then that Cor learned of his true origin, having believed for many years that Arsheesh was his true father. After a long winded and rather pointless conversation, Arsheesh and Anradin had begun haggling on a price. I was then that Cor had slipped away.

Distressed, he had questioned Bree (who had been tied to the stable doors) on his master's nature. To his great astonishment, the horse had answered. Anradin, he revealed was a cruel and harsh master. Bree had, however, offered a solution: he two could run away together. After all, Cor would never get far on two legs, and a rider less horse would never get very far without being captured. That night, the two had escaped north towards Narnia.

They traveled at night and slept during the day, hoping to avoid pursuit, but encountered no one for several weeks. One night, when they were traveling between the forest and a dune-covered beach, they heard the sounds of a horse and rider and, thinking that they were being pursued, they began to head towards the beach to lose themselves among the shoals. They were stopped, however, by a lion's roar. The lion had chased them, and they had been forced into close proximity with the other rider when they heard a lion on the other side of them. The two had galloped side by side until they managed to evade the beasts by crossing a river.

They had been eager to push on and leave the other rider, but they had been stopped by the sound of the other rider's horse speaking. Bree had confronted the mare on this and eventually they had agreed to camp together for the night. There, they had heard the rider and the horse's story. The rider, as it turned out, was a young Tarkheena named Aravis who was escaping an arranged marriage on her mare, Hwin. The two hoped to flee to Narnia, where they would be free.

Bree, Hwin, Aravis and Cor had then decided that, since their goal was the same, they would continue their journey together. And so they had traveled in relative peace (though it was clear that Aravis and Shasta did not get along) until they reached Tashbaan. Worried about crossing the city safely, they had decided to dress themselves in rags, disguise Bree and Hwin as packhorses and cross straight through the city. That plan, however, had crumbled when Cor had been spotted by our party when we crossed the city. Thankfully, they had agreed to meet at the Tombs of the Ancient Kings if they were ever separated, which was why we were here now.

By the time this account of the boy's and the horse's adventures was completed, it was long past nightfall, and we settled ourselves down to sleep. I had just about drifted off when Cor let out a yell. I started awake and was on my feet in an instant, prepared to defend Cor from whatever was attacking him.

"What is it Shasta?" I asked urgently.

"It was just a cat," he answered, slightly ashamed. "It startled me when I was just about to fall asleep. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"A fine reason to deprive us of our sleep," grumbled Bree, affronted at having been woken up over something so trivial.

I ignored his complaints, however, because my eyes were fixed on the cat in question. The animal looked like any other stray would, thin with mangy fur and a few scars, but the second it fixed its eyes on me I knew it was no ordinary animal. I had only ever seen eyes like that on one creature in my long life, and that was Aslan. Instinctively, I knew that the great lion was watching over the boy just as I was.

_Rest, Rayna. I will watch over you tonight. _His voice echoed in my mind, and I suddenly felt a great peace descend upon me. When we settled back down, I fell asleep quickly, sure that no harm could come to us this night.

Aslan was true to his word, and nothing disturbed us, save once when the cries of jackals were heard coming from the desert. Quickly, the noise was drowned out by the sound of a lion's roar.

We woke to the sound of the horns of Tashbaan, signaling that the city gates were opening. The sun was rising, bathing everything in a golden glow. Cor was sitting up, rubbing his eyes groggily and Phillip and Bree were a little way off munching on some grass that grew at the side of the road leading to the tombs. The cat was gone.

"Are you hungry?" I asked Cor.

"I'll be fine. "

I shook my head slightly, "That's not what I asked. If you are hungry you should ask for food. You have escaped the cruelties of the Calormenes, and now you must learn Narnian hospitality. Know this, Shasta: no true Narnian will deny a meal to those who ask it unless it is that they themselves have no food to offer. Now, are you hungry?"

"Yes."

In response, I placed my hand on the sand and out of it sprouted a small green shoot, which rapidly grew into a melon plant, thick with ripe fruit.

"Eat," I ordered, using my dagger to cut the fruit into pieces and handing him one.

He obeyed, but stopped after only a single bite, "how do you do it? Magic, I mean."

"You're asking me to explain magic?" I asked, surprised. "You will find that it is a very complex subject. However, I will try to explain it to the best of my abilities. I suppose magic is, in the simplest terms possible, the manipulation of energy. Energy is all around us, but magicians are born with the ability to tap into it in order to accomplish great feats. However, just as no two people think in the same way, no two magicians access energy in the same way. I, for example, draw the energy and let it manifest through the elements: water, fire, earth, air, light and darkness."

"That's amazing," Cor, stated, seemingly awed. Then he seemed to think of something else and, genuinely curious, asked yet another question. "Yesterday, you mentioned combat magic. What does that mean?"

"Magic is generally broken into two different categories: combat magic and invocative magic. Combat magic is the use of magic directly in the form into which the magician has manifested it. It's called combat magic because it is the form used in battle, since it uses up far less of the caster's strength and is quicker to use, but really it can be used in most situations which involve using the energy as whatever the magician in question generally summons, so the name is slightly misleading."

"And the second type?" Cor prompted.

I laughed lightly, "You are insatiable. Still, it's nice to have someone who is so interested. Invocative magic uses the magician's manifestation of energy to channel the magic into a bigger spell, sort of like a base. Generally, you have to use an incantation of some sort, but invocative magic lets magicians do pretty much anything because they aren't limited to summoning magic in a single type of form. However, it takes longer, uses up more strength, and is harder to learn, so it's much less used. Still, it is practical. Have I satisfied you now?"

"Yes, I think I understand it all."

Cor glanced towards Tashbaan, as he had been all throughout our conversation.

"You're getting worried about Aravis, aren't you?"

He shrugged, "I just wish she'd show up so we can leave."

"I'm going to go into the city. I need to try and find out about Susan and Edmund's escape attempt. If everything went according to plan, they should have left last night. I'll see if I can find Aravis and Hwin while I'm there. I can't use a tracking spell, because I would need a clear idea of what she's like, but I'll do what I can. Can you stay here with the horses? I'll be back tonight at the latest."

Shasta nodded, and I stood and brushed sand off my dress. I would need to buy some more suitable clothes for the desert while I was in Tashbaan. I hadn't had time to change after the party yesterday, only slipping on a pair of traveling boots before leaving to find Corin, and the clothes I was wearing were far from suitable for the journey I was about to make.

When I entered the city barely fifteen minutes later and headed for the large square in which stood Tashbaan's main market. I quickly purchased a set of simple Calormene-style desert clothes, made up of a pair of loose, wide pants which were meant to be tucked into my boots, a simple tunic cinched to my waist with a wide sash and a scarf to shield my face from the sun and sand of the Great Desert. Once that was done, I began to wander from stall to stall, my movements appearing aimless, but I knew that the best gossip could be found in the marketplace, and I kept my ears open for any useful information.

The gossip pertained mostly to the disappearance of the Narnian visitors who had fled in the middle of the night. I was immediately grateful to hear of their successful escape, but reports of Rabadash's fury at this news worried me enough that I could not dwell solely on the happy news. It was likely, the rumors said, that he had a plan to attack Narnia and win back his "beloved". Of Aravis and Hwin I heard almost nothing. The only possible piece of information on Cor's companion seemed doubtful at best. Supposedly, a girl had been taken up from the crowds and into a litter by the Tarkheena Lasaraleen, who had also had the girl's horse brought with her. This was unusual enough to catch my attention, but I could not be certain that the girl in question really was Aravis.

It was sunset by the time I finally gave up on the prospect of more information. As I left the city, heading for the tombs, I heard the loud blare of the horns indicating the closing of the gates for the night. Unless Aravis and Hwin had found the others while I was away, it seemed that we would be spending another night among the tombs. When I got to the giant stone beehives, however I found no sign of Cor, though the horses were there.

"Where's Shasta?" I asked them, concerned.

"He went to the stream to see if he could spot the others," Phillip answered, moving his head in the direction of the young prince's location.

When I found Cor, he was hiding behind a tree, watching a horse drinking from the water, a servant boy holding its halter.

"Is that Hwin?"

"Yes, but I don't know who the other one is and there's no sign of Aravis," Cor responded.

"We'd best wait and see what's going on then."

Nothing happened until well after dark. The servant seemed to have been told to stay there, because he made no move to head back even as night descended. Eventually, however, a girl ran up to the horse and dismissed the man, who ran back to Tashbaan. The second he was gone, Shasta darted out of his hiding place and ran towards them. I followed.

The second the girl, Aravis I supposed, spotted Shasta, she ran towards him, frantic, "Quick, there's not a moment to lose! We must get across the desert now. Archenland is in danger."


	32. Chapter 11: Across the Desert

Author's note:

So sorry for the delay. School's just been crazy, and I don't think things are going to get better anytime soon, so I also apologize for any further delays. Still, school's finished in six weeks, and hopefully the grades will be finished a few weeks before that so I can get some more writing done. And let's not forget I still have another week of vacation to continue writing, so maybe I can get one out soon.

I think I only have about five or so more chapters until the end of the horse and his boy. After that, I'll get one or two more chapters in before the Pevensies leave, and maybe a few more to summarize the 1300 years between the Lion the Witch an the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian before moving on to Prince Caspian. I'm still not sure whether to post the Prince Caspian (and hopefully Dawn Treader ) bits in another section or to keep writing them in this stiory. What do you think? I can only hope I'll get around to finishing these chronicles before giving up.

Remember, reviews are encouragement, both to write faster and to convince me that this story isn't a total failure that I should just give up, so give me a lot. I won't post the next chapter until I get at least 12 reviews.

Read on,

Hecate

Chapter 11: Across the desert

"What do you mean?" I demanded. "What's happened?"

Aravis looked up and seemed to see me for the first time. "Who are you?"

"My name is Rayna."

"She's a friend," Cor cut in. Quickly, he explained what had happened since they had been separated. "But what about you?" he asked when he was done. "What happened to you, and what's threatening Archenland?"

Aravis's explanation had waited until we'd rejoined the horses, but when it finally came it was just as rushed as Cor's, but it was enough that I understood the reality of the threat to Archenland. Aravis had, as I had guessed, been taken by Lasaraleen Tarkheena, who was a childhood friend of hers. The Tarkheena had attempted to convince Aravis to stay and marry the man her father had intended for her, a man who had apparently just become Grand Vizier. Eventually, though, Aravis had managed to convince Lasaraleen to help her get out of the city.

Together, the two had devised a plan: Lasaraleen would take Aravis through the water gate in the Tisroc's gardens, which led out of the city. Their plan had apparently been working well until they'd been interrupted by the arrival of the Tisroc along with Prince Rabadash and the new grand vizier, a man named Ahoshta. The two girls had run into the nearest room and hidden behind a couch, hoping the party would pass by without noticing them. Unfortunately, the Tisroc and his followers had entered the room and began a secret meeting.

Rabadash, enraged at Queen Susan's disappearance, was desperate to attack Narnia and take the queen by force. The Tisroc had remained cautious and had refused, claiming that he could not break the peace treaty with Narnia without being certain their invasion would be successful. The Narnian rulers, he had pointed out, may seem weak, but they were not to be underestimated. They had, as he pointed out, manage to topple a witch who had been ruling for a century. Rabadash, unflinching in his resolve, had proposed another plan.

He would lead a surprise attack on Anvard, the Archenlandish stronghold and take Archenland as his own. From there, he would ride into Narnia, kidnap Susan and take her as his queen.

I had expected that Rabadash would seek to retaliate, but I had not thought him capable of this kind of thinking. I had made a mistake by underestimating him, or perhaps I had begun to overestimate my skills in perception and manipulation. From now on, I would have to be more vigilant, or both Narnia and Archenland would be in grave peril.

It came to me at that moment. This was the grave peril that the centaur's prophecy had warned us of. Just as the boy had resurfaced, Archenland had found itself in danger and he found himself in the middle of it. Now, he would need to save his country, and I would need to guide him. It was not mere chance that Aslan had warned me of his arrival.

And I would need him, I realized. I could expect no help from the Narnians, at least not on such short notice. Peter was leading his own war against the giants in the north and Susan and Edmund were still at sea somewhere, so I could not count on their aid. Lucy was at Cair Paravel and could rally the armies if I sent her a message, but she lacked the military knowledge to lead an army, even if she was perfectly handy in a fight. Therefore, the warning would have to go directly to King Lune. I could have sent him a message instantly through magic, but Lune had never trusted me, and a message of such a delicate matter could be easily dismissed. Lune would not listen to me, but there was no doubt that he would listen to Cor. This must be his destiny, to relay the message that no one else could and save Archenland from Rabadash and his men.

"We must leave now for Archenland," I spoke, cutting off Cor and Aravis, who had been arguing about the way to proceed.

Cor, who had been fervent in his desire to move to Archenland as quickly as possible, nodded and moved to get Bree's saddle. Aravis, however, opened her mouth in protest.

"We need to prepare. We have no supplies, no sure way across the desert. We can't just go off without thinking about what we're doing!"

"And besides," Bree cut in, "there's no real rush. It takes time to get an army ready. Rabadash's 200 horse won't be ready until tomorrow at the least."

I shook my head, "I wouldn't underestimate Rabadash's resourcefulness. The sooner we leave the better. Supplies aren't an issue if I'm with you and I believe Shasta has already learned of a sure route across the desert. The sooner we leave the better. Archenland will be safer for it."

Aravis cast me a doubtful look, but nodded. Then she turned to Cor, "So, which way then?"

He pointed to the double-headed peak in the distance, "That way, we ride so that Mount Pire is always directly in front of us. We'll find a narrow pass there which will lead us to Archenland."

"Then we had best be off," Phillip put in.

"Very well," Bree agreed disgruntledly, "but I we mustn't become reckless. I won't have us galloping for a day and a night like in the stories in an attempt to be heroic. It must be brisk trots and then short walks. Otherwise we'll exhaust ourselves."

"Of course," Cor agreed, "but we must be off at once."

And so the horses were hurriedly saddled and our meager belongings packed: a water canteen for each of us, Aravis's dagger and my sword. Then, we were off.

The sun had set many hours ago, and the night was cool, the sand having long released the heat it had gained during the sunlight hours of the day. It was deadly silent in the desert, with no breeze, and the sand muffling the sounds of the horses' hooves. Nothing stirred, and even Tashbaan, which was growing smaller in the distance, seemed to be asleep, lacking the noise and bustle of the daytime crowds. Yet we pushed on towards Archenland, our flight breaking the stillness surrounding us. Cor was leading the party, keeping his eyes fixed on the distant Mount Pire and calling out every so often to redirect our course.

Time seemed nonexistent in this wasteland, and yet in time the sky grew lighter as the sun peaked over the horizon. It was then that the real trial commenced. The glare of the sun blinded us, the heat of the day grew to be nearly unbearable, and our thirst became unquenchable. These problems, however, I could solve fairly easily. As the sky began to climb in the sky, I summoned darkness to hang over us like a cloud, effectively blocking the sun, and a light breeze to keep us cool. When the water in our canteens ran out, I simply conjured a deep pool of water, from which the horses were able to drink and we were able to refill our canteens.

But as much as magic aided us in making the arduous journey, nothing could prevent our exhaustion, or shrink the endless stretch of desert that we had to find our way across. One of our biggest problems came when it came time for us to walk once more. As Cor began to dismount, placing a foot in the sand, he let out a cry of pain and immediately hauled himself back into the saddle.

"The sand's too hot," he gasped out. "It burns my feet. I'm sorry Bree, but I can't walk."

"I suppose it can't be helped," Bree agreed.

He was right. I could easily feel the heat coming from the sand, though my boots kept it from harming my feet. The same went for Aravis, who was wearing Calormene style slippers. Shasta, on the other hand, was barefoot, and would suffer greatly if made to walk. And so Shasta was forced to stay on Bree's back as we kept on.

There was nothing around us, only an empty, vast expense of sand. Behind us was Tashbaan, only a speck on the horizon, though it refused to shrink or disappear. With every passing hour, it felt more and more as if we were incapable of escaping from the city's reach. Worse even than that were the distant mountains, which seemed to be unreachable. Though both Cor and I kept our eyes fixed on Mount Pire, the double peak stayed frustratingly distant.

On several occasions, Aravis, Hwin and even Cor suggested we stop to rest, but Bree and I quickly shot them down, and we only ever stopped every hour or so so that we could each take a few gulps of water before continuing doggedly on. Bree may have been slightly arrogant, but he proved to be an aid in this quest. He had been a great war horse, and knew how to keep on for hours, leading the others on even when they wished to stop, as well as the likely movement and composition of Rabadash's cavalry, having experienced it himself. While I was not inexperienced in any of these areas, I found his support valuable. He had traveled with the party longer, and had their trust whereas I was almost unknown to them.

Philip, on the other hand, complained almost constantly, but I never faulted him for it. It was after all part of his character, and I found the familiar humor almost comforting. Besides, the steed was steadfast and loyal, and never once faltered in the march. I had never been the best of riders either, preferring always the company of Storm, but Philip never once commented on it, and knew how to adjust his stride to better suit me instead of Edmund, who was his usual rider.

It was dusk when we reached the base of the mountains. As Sallowpad had said, there was indeed a path, so narrow that we almost missed it. As we entered, we found the pass almost worse than the desert, the high walls of the valley preventing any breeze save for the one I conjured and making the heat almost unbearable. The sound of hooves echoing on gravel instead of sand seemed a jarring change, but we all welcomed it, relieved to have escaped the desert.

Eventually, the pass widened. The stony ground grew wet, and a small trickle of water manifested itself, turning into a stream bordered in grass as we continued on. It was when we came upon a small pool in the river that we stopped. Aravis and Cor scrambled off of their mounts and fell into the cool water, submerging their heads and taking long gulps of the liquid. The horses soon joined them by the bank of the pool, bending down to drink deeply and chew mouthfuls of fresh grass.

Philip and I stopped along with them, and I dismounting, coming around to Philip's head.

"Thank you, old friend. I could not have done it without you."

Through his tired gasps, Philip answered, "If it saves Archenland and Narnia, you can count on my help with a lot."

I smiled at his grudging tone, and then turned to look around at the children in the water, "They will come to their senses and want to continue on soon," I remarked.

"Just as well," Philip grunted, "We have made good time, but we shouldn't let our guard down even if the worst is over."

I shook my head, "Somehow, I don't think it is. They will need rest if they are to face what is to come."

Soon enough, the rest of the party came scrambling up the bank and collapsed on the ground, laying down and trying to find their closing eyes. It was Hwin who offered the first objection to their near-sleeping state.

"But we mustn't go to sleep," she said weakly, "we must stay ahead of that Rabadash."

Bree answered slowly, but all the same he agreed, "No, mustn't go to sleep. Just a little rest."

Yet none of them moved to get up, and soon enough the pale moon shone down on the two children and their steeds, all of them fast asleep.

"You should rest as well Philip. You are tired from our journey and we have much ground yet to cover."

Philip protested, as he always did, but soon enough he too slept, and I was left to keep vigil through the night.


	33. Chapter 13: On to Archenland

Author's note: I was disappointed by the amount of reviews I got (only 2) but since I clearly wasn't going to get the amount I asked for and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting another few months, I've decided to give you guys another chapter.

I thought it would go through more than it did, but I guess I got caught up in the writing and before I knew it I had reached my usual word count. I guess this means that I've gotten over my long-lasting writer's block. I can't wait to start actively writing again.

I want 5 reviews at least before I publish another one, but until then I hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter 12: On to Archenland

I kept watch through the night, or what was left of it anyway, for it was already well into the night by the time we stopped to rest. It was only a few short hours later that the first light of dawn began to lighten the horizon. It was then that, resigned, I got up to wake the others.

I awoke Aravis first, and the young Tarkheena immediately leapt to her feet, looking with dismay at the sunrise peaking over the mountains, "We shouldn't have gone to sleep like that. It's my fault, I should have made sure they stayed awake. One couldn't expect the horses to stay awake after a journey like that, even if they can talk. And of course the boy wouldn't, he's had no decent training. But I ought to have known better." She cast a critical glance my way, "So should you. You should have known falling asleep was a bad idea."

"I never slept." At Aravis's sharp, accusing look, I hastened to explain. "I thought it best to let you rest. The horses were spent, as were you, and we could not have hoped to go very far if we were all close to dropping of exhaustion. We still have much ground to cover, and we must make good time if we are to reach Anvard in time. Now come, we should wake the others."

Philip, always steadfast, rose quickly and shook himself out, resigning himself to another long march, though I saw the exhaustion in his movements. Shasta was slower to wake, but seemed used to moving about on little sleep, no doubt from years of hard work in the fisherman's hut. Hwin was a docile and gentle creature, not used to this sort of journey, and was clearly the weaker and more tired of the two. Still, I admired her persistence, as she uttered not a word of complaint. Bree, however, was another story.

Whereas he had been the one to push the rest on the day before, today he was lazy and slow from sleep. He was hard to wake, and harder still to spur on. Aravis, frantic in her haste, was dismayed when he insisted on breakfast.

"Oh come on, we've already lost more time than we should have. There isn't a moment to spare."

"What's the terrible hurry?" Bree responded. "We've crossed the desert, haven't we?"

"But we're not in Archenland yet, and we've got to get there before Rabadash."

"Oh, we must be miles ahead of him," said Bree. "Haven't we been coming a shorter way? Didn't that raven friend of yours say this was a shortcut, Shasta?"

"Sallowpad's a fool," I cut in. "He spends more time spurting sayings than doing any actual thinking. He may have been right about this route, but he never said it was shorter, only better, because it leads to a river. Actually, since the oasis is due north of Tashbaan and we've been heading north-west, then I would say this way was actually longer. And Rabadash is a prince. He has many resources. We'd do well not to dismiss the speed with which he can get an army, or the ways he can push them across the desert."

Bree sighed, but seemed to realize he was outnumbered in this, "Well, I can't go on without a quick snack at the very least."

And so we had to wait as Bree had a few mouthfuls of grass and a long drink from the pool. When we finally did set out, Bree insisted on a lazy walk, instead of the pace we had pushed ourselves to the night before. The horses all seemed so exhausted that no one really had the heart to protest overmuch. In the end, the only real protest came from Hwin, who was weakest of us all.

"I feel just like Bree that I just can't go on. But when horses have humans with spurs and things on their backs, aren't they often made to go on when they're feeling like this, and then find they can? I mean, oughtn't we be able to do more now that we're free? It's all for Narnia."

I had to admire her for this, and I could tell that Philip did as well, but Bree seemed rather affronted.

"I think," he said very crushingly, that I know a little more about campaigns and forced marches and what a horse can stand than you do."

This may have been the case, but Hwin likely had the right of it. I suspected the horses could have done far more if they had been pushed to it by some Tarkhaan, but we were Narnians, and not cruel masters prepared to spur a horse into submission. And so we kept on at a gentle walk, and it was really Philip, who was by far the most stubborn of them all, who set the pace.

Perhaps the horses would have gone faster had the valley not been such a pleasant place, with its cool stream, green grass, shady trees and sweet-smelling flowers. As it was, however, it made you want to go slowly, to enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful surroundings. In this way we rode for what was left of the morning, and I began to despair that we would ever reach Anvard before Rabadash.

The sun was high in the sky by the time the valley widened out and we saw the land ahead of us. The stream we had been following had swelled to a small river, and here it joined the swirling, rushing water of the Winding Arrow, which flowed from the high, snow peaked mountains to our left to the gentler hills covered in green forests to our right. Ahead of us, I could spot the gap in the seemingly endless mountains that I knew to be the pass into Narnia. The prospect of home was a tempting one, but I had a mission to complete before I could return to Narnia. Bree seemed to be revitalized by the sight before us, growing enthusiastic where he had been lazy.

"The North, the green North! At last!" he called with a very horsey whinny.

As the party's spirits rose, the pace seemed to pick up. Suddenly, the freedom the two children and their horses had hoped for seemed attainable. All that was left to do now was reach it. We found a ford across the eastward-flowing river, and then we were in Archenland. Though Philip and I knew the land well, the others did not, and I could see them reveling in the clear, sweet air which one could only find in the north. Every new sight filled them with wonder.

Our path became winding and unsteady, as we went up the many steep ridges, and skirt around several gorges, but I did not mind overmuch. For one, while the terrain was cumbersome and the journey slow, at least we knew where we were going, whereas Rabadash would be forced to find his own way up when he finally came. For another, I could spot the castle at Anvard hidden amidst the many peaks and slopes, and I guessed that we would reach it before sunset, if we kept a decent pace.

At the top of the first ridge, Cor turned back in the saddle, no doubt to glance over the land we had traveled, for the view from here really was splendid. It was here, however, that things began to go wrong.

"What's that?" the young prince called out, spotting something in the distance. "It looks like smoke. Is there a fire?"

I turned Philip around and felt dread fill me as I saw what Cor had spotted.

"Sand-storm, I should say," Bree guessed, studying the cloud of dust in the distance.

"That's no sandstorm," I objected. "It seems Rabadash crossed the desert faster than any of us had anticipated. Come, he'll be crossing the river soon. We need to keep ahead of him."

Philip needed no urging. He tossed his head and began galloping North without another word. Bree and Hwin quickly followed.

"Come on, come on," I heard Aravis urge from behind me.

We raced on, though the journey was grueling. As we topped each ridge, a valley and then another ridge appeared beyond it, and so we kept on and on.

"They're on the river!" Cor yelled as he looked back from the top of one of the many hills.

"Hurry," Philip called, "we can't have come all this way for nothing. Gallop, Bree. Remember you're a war horse."

The horses were going full speed now, and soon Bree, Hwin and Philip were racing side by side, thundering over the turf. They were coated in sweat, and it did not look as if Hwin could not keep up much longer.

It was then that a roar echoed through the valley. It was not the dull roar of Calormene battle cries mixed with the sound of hooves and jingling armor, but the clear, snarling roar of a lion. At the sound, Bree and Hwin leapt forward, terrified at the sound. They had found, it seemed, some last remaining strength which spurred them on. Philip and I, however, held back. We knew the sound as something quite different.

"Aslan," I murmured.

"They should not be running," Philip objected, "this is good."

A familiar voice echoed in my mind at that moment. _Do not stop, do not look back. You must spur them on, and faster still, if they are to reach their goal._

And suddenly I understood Aslan's purpose, his need to give them all an incentive to urge them on. I wheeled Philip around, and sent him galloping on. He gave a cry of surprise at my sudden urgency, but asked no questions and continued forward towards where the others were still riding at break-neck speed.

"Hurry!" I called, "He will be on us soon."

Cor looked back at this, and his eyes widened in fear. For Aslan had appeared behind us, terrible in his fierce beauty. I continued to look ahead, however, and saw a high hedge looming in front of us. In the middle of this green wall was a gate, opened to reveal a familiar face: an old, bearded man in long brown robes. Bree saw this as well, and made a final dash for safety. His rider, however, continued to look back at Hwin and Aravis. Philip and I had just caught up to them, but Hwin seemed close to giving up. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked on the great lion. Aslan was almost upon her, making snaps at her hind legs.

"Stop!" bellowed Cor. "We must go back! Must help!"

Bree, however, did not stop, terror having taken too great a hold on him. And so Cor, in a moment of true, foolish bravery, slipped out of the saddle, tumbled to the ground and staggered in our direction.

Then two screams pierced the air. One was the horrible, shrieking sound of a horse while the other was the high-pitched howl of a girl in pain. Aslan had leapt up and sunk his claws in Aravis's back. My eyes widened in shock, and yet I did find it in me to question the lion. He had proved his great wisdom to me many times over.

We were almost on Cor, and the boy, horrified, was shouting, "Go away! Go away!" even while looking directly into the lion's gaping maw.

Had this been any other beast, the boy would doubtless have been killed in an instant. But this was Aslan, and so Cor found himself looking on in astonishment as the lion turned on its heels and rushed away, leaving the rest of us untouched. Quickly, he collected himself and raced towards the gate in the hedge, which Hwin was just entering, a blood-soaked Aravis on her back. The gentle voice of the hermit of the southern march was ushering them in.

I stopped my mount before we reached the gate and sent a wave of earth magic in the direction of the trees surrounding us. Their branches began to spread out, growing and creating a thick, almost impenetrable curtain of forest for miles around, hopefully delaying Rabadash, at least for a little while until he managed to slice through it.

With that, I urged Philip through the gate, where the hermit was waiting for us, "Welcome old friend, I am glad to once again be in your company."

"It has been too long," I agreed. "You have my gratitude for aiding us in this."

"It is a pleasure, as always," he said, waving us through the gate.


	34. Chapter 13: Reunions

Author's note:  I know I promised a chapter as soon as I got five reviews, but it's really hard for me to write a chapter in less than a week, and so I'm a bit behind.

I hope you like this chapter. It explains Rayna's connection to the hermit a little, and then we have the arrival of a character I have really missed. Storm's back! And then we only have another chapter until we get to the battle.

**Songwriter16: **The horse and his boy is my favorite book of the series, and I definitely agree it's not done often enough. Thank you for thinking I'm doing a good job with Rayna. I think that she's an interesting person, and the fact that she is always trying to work behind the scenes to make sure things go right makes her very easy to incorporate into this world, as well as her connection with many of the characters.

**MCH:** You pretty much got Rayna's character summed up in two sentences. I agree that it's often way harder to support the leaders instead of leading yourself, and Rayna has pretty much made that her mission in life. She knows what she's good at, and she uses that to achieve everything she thinks is necessary for Narnia. I think that's what makes her an interesting character. I also really like her relationship with Lune, which I look forward to developing in later chapters. Those two will be having some pretty interesting conversations soon.

Thanks to all of those that reviewed: MCH, mysticoriginals, Sam, songwriter16. Your support means a lot to me.

I want at least 8 reviews before I publish my next chapter, but it will probably not be out in less than a week regardless. Remember: reviews are motivation. The more I have, the faster I write.

Until next time,

Hecate

Chapter 13: Reunions

The hermit's home was truly a beautiful place, for all its simplicity. He had been living there for as long as I could remember, and tended to it lovingly. The hedge was high and leafy, and the circular garden it enclosed was green with grass. A still pool of water was shadowed by an ancient tree, and on the other side of the garden his small house was pristine as always, as was the small stable attached to the side of it. Still, I did not have time to revel in this familiar beauty. There was still an invasion to thwart.

"Shasta!" I called. The boy tore his gaze away from Aravis's bleeding wounds. "There is little time to waste. You must go on alone from here. The horses are spent and Aravis is injured. Rabadash should be over the Winding Arrow by now, but if you run you may still be able to warn King Lune."

Cor looked dismayed at the prospect but offered no protest. Instead he only asked "Where is the King?"

Turning, the hermit pointed his staff. "Look, there is another gate, right opposite to the one you entered by. Open it and go straight ahead, over level or steep, over smooth or rough, over dry or wet. I know by my art that you will find King Lune straight ahead. But run, run, always run."

Cor nodded his head and ran. In a few seconds he had disappeared beyond the gate. As soon as he had, the old man turned to me.

"I must aid the damsel," he said, "but we will talk later. In the meantime, I believe you should tend to your mounts. They were brave to take you this far and it would not do to neglect them now."

"Of course. Go, she has much need of you healing."

I waited until the hermit had helped Aravis off of her horse and half led, half carried her into his house, still surprisingly strong for a man his age. Then I went to tend to the horses. I took the saddles and bridles off of them, and rubbed them down thoroughly. Once that was done, I led them to a trough filled with fresh water, which ran alongside the stables.

"Will Aravis live?" Hwin asked softly after a while. "Has the lion killed her?"

"I do not believe so. From what I saw, the lion's claws did not penetrate too deeply, and the hermit has a healer's hands. I suspect the Tarkheena will recover in time, Aslan willing."

Aslan would not have killed her, of that I was certain. He would not have sacrificed a girl just to urge on the rest, and I doubted she had done anything so bad as to merit a death sentence. It was not for me to question Aslan's reasoning, but I guessed that he had wounded her to teach her some lesson or another.

After a long while, the hermit came out again and gestured for me to follow him.

"I watched you coming," he said as we walked.

This did not surprise me. The Hermit of the Southern March was no great magician, dedicating himself instead to his simple lifestyle, his study of various plants and herbs and his practice of healing, but he did possess some form of power: he was very gifted in the magic of farsight. He had no notion of the future or the past, but he was able to see anything that was happening at the moment, no matter how far it was and no matter which world it was in.

"And did you see the Calormenes?" I inquired.

"They are across the river, and have journeyed a little way into Archenland, but it is hard going. They have found themselves barred by an impenetrable barrier of trees, and are having to slice their way through the forest." He turned to me with a twinkle in his eyes, "I wonder what could have caused that."

"A great mystery indeed," I agreed, smirking.

"But that is not why I wished to speak to you. What will you do now that you have sent the boy out alone? You were never one to stand around idly."

He was right. After all, we had known each other almost as long as I had known Storm, and he was the only person (if not creature) in the north that was older than I, though by no more than a few years. I had first met him when Storm and I had gone on an exploratory flight (the first of many long journeys intended to give us a respite from my mother's grasp) soon after we had met. We found in each other the same quiet wisdom and appreciation for knowledge, though he had always preferred seclusion where I had aimed to influence, and I greatly treasured our friendship.

"I have no intention of staying idle," I confirmed. "King Lune will need more than just a warning if he is to defeat Rabadash. He will need an army, and I intend to bring one to him."

"You will head for Narnia then," the hermit guessed, "and rally the Narnians to their cause. I suspected as much."

I nodded, "I will leave immediately. Philip is in no shape to travel, but I can find my own way, though it will doubtless be more perilous. I do not like to travel so far on by air, for there are strong winds in the mountains which may sway my course, but I have little choice in the matter if I am to reach Anvard in time to aid Lune."

I sighed, anticipating the daunting task. The mountains were a treacherous place to cross by air. My powers may have been very effective in summoning the forces of nature, but halting those already in motion, especially something so wild and unpredictable as wind was a different matter. Such a journey was far from impossible, and I would have had no hesitation in attempting it over a shorter distance, but to fly all the way to the Cair would leave me tired. I could not afford to find myself drained now, when I would need my energy for the fight ahead and I did not believe I would have any time to rest before that.

"Perhaps you need not risk it. I guessed that you would be impatient to be off, so I took the liberty of sending one of my messenger pigeons to Narnia. They reached it this morning, and your friend Storm left immediately after. He should reach us within the hour."

I smiled, "You are as resourceful as ever. Tell me, how is the girl?"

"She will wake soon enough, and though the wounds will scar, they are far from deadly, no more serious than ten lashes from a whip."

"Good. I trust you will care for her, as well as the horses."

"It will be my pleasure."

"Philip will likely want to be off as soon as he is able. If you cannot stop him, tell him to meet us on the Narnian side of the pass."

"The others will stay here, then?"

"I suspect as much," I agreed.

It was at that moment that a white form appeared on the horizon. At first, one could have mistaken it for a large bird, but as it came closer, and became even larger, the distinct silhouette of the white dragon became clear. Long neck stretched out, head looking around alertly, muscled body poised in the air, immeasurably long wings beating, tail trailing behind, Storm truly made for a magnificent sight.

Of course, I was overjoyed to see my oldest friend again, for it seemed like it had been long since we had parted, though it had only been a few weeks. Soon enough, he landed, startling two of the horses from their casual grazing. Bree let out a whinny of distress, eyes wide, and Hwin backed away a few steps, but I quickly reassured them.

"This is Storm," I introduced him. "He is a great friend and will be taking me to Narnia."

"Then you are leaving us?" Hwin asked.

"Yes. There is much to be done if Rabadash is to be pushed out of Archenland of the North, and little time to waste. You must restore your strength after our journey, and soon enough I trust you will see Narnia for yourselves. It truly is a remarkable place."

I said my goodbyes to Philip and the hermit quickly, thanking them both for their aid on this journey, and then Storm and I were off and I was feeling the familiar movement of Storm's rippling muscles under me and of the wind in my hair. Had our situation not been dire, I would have truly appreciated the journey. As it was, I had a goal ahead of me, though that did not stop me from taking a moment to revel in the fact that Calormen was far behind us.

"What news from Cair Paravel?" I asked Storm after a while.

"The Cair itself, as well as the lads surrounding it, have been as calm as always, even more so with only Queen Lucy there and most of the army away in the North fighting the giants. We did receive a letter only yesterday from King Peter, though. They have triumphed against the giant's armies, and will return home once they have finished sorting out treaties with the giants," Storm reported.

I smiled at the news. The giants had been rebelling often in the years since my mother's reign had ended, and we had pushed them back every time with relative ease (the giants were disorganized bands and not very smart, after all), so I had not been overly worried for Peter, who was a capable war general. But I would still be very glad to be able to see him, and perhaps we would soon announce the news of our betrothal to the rest of Narnia.

"It will be nice when we are all together again," I mused.

"Of course it will. Cair Paravel becomes rather dull when you all go off like this."

I laughed lightly, "Now you're starting to sound like Philip."

Storm chuckled deeply along with me, but soon sobered. "Tell me, Rayna, what exactly is this threat looming over us. The hermit's message said only that we were in some sort of danger."

And so I told him everything starting from my meeting with Aslan when we had first arrived in Calormen. After that, there was little talking, as we had both remembered the urgency of this journey.

Soon enough, we were over the mountains, and there we undertook the most challenging part of our journey, as there were often strong gales blowing here. However, Storm's wings were powerful enough to resist against most of these, where my power over air would have been insufficient if I were flying on my own. That was not to say I was completely useless. I was able to redirect a few of the air currents, and make my companion's task easier as he had far less work to do in order to steer us in the direction of the Cair.

We were able to make it across the mountains with very few snags, and by the time the sun had set, leaving only a faint blood-red glow across the horizon (something I hoped was not a sign of things to come) we were across the border into Narnia. From there, it only took a little over an hour to reach the Cair.

The sight of my home was a welcome one. The castle was as bright and cheerful as ever, with lights shining in every window and the sweet sounds of laughter and chatter drifting up towards us. Storm quickly dipped down and we landed smoothly inside the castle courtyard. Somebody must have seen Storm's white form coming and alerted the castle's occupants, as there was a small crowd waiting for us: Queen Lucy, Oreius, the Beavers and a fox I knew as Lightfoot, who was one of the youngest queen's best friends. It was just as well that they were here..

I wasted no time with greetings, though Lucy had stepped forward eagerly with a smile on her face.

"We must gather our army, and quickly. Archenland is in great danger."


	35. Chapter 14: On the March

Author's note: Please check out my profile, I post information on my stories there. If you want to know about my future plans for this story, you can find info there. If you have anything to say about what I have already written or am currently writing, I would love to hear it.

Thank you all for so many great reviews: Supergirrl101, PJO-Blue-cookies, josie. , songwriter16, EdmundPevensie for evermore, Zabuzasgirl and guests. I love hearing from all of you.

Superrgirl101: Thank you for liking my story and my character. It means a lot to me. I have no idea how you got through the first 2 chapters though. I have problems going back and rereading those. Hope you keep reading.

PJO-Blue-cookies: The Pevensies will be going through the wardrobe just as soon as I finish the Horse and His Boy plot arc and then write a few chapters to conclude the Golden Age. Rayna will be staying behind and (thanks to Aslan's obvious loophole) will be back to her immortal status. I have a lot planned for Rayna in the years after the Pevensies leave. I hope you will like reading it.

Songwriter16: I always try to keep the characters in mind when I write dialogue, so I'm really glad you like it as well as the rest of my story. Always happy to hear from you, please keep reading.

Guest: Rayna is not generally a very emotional person, and always tries to keep her emotions separate because she believes that it stops her from acting effectively and analytically. We will, however, get to see more emotion from her later in the story, as she is put in more trying situations. Hope that satisfies you. Always glad to hear from you.

EdmundPevensie for evermore: I definitely have a lot planned for Rayna after the Pevensies leave. She won't just be hanging out in the woods for 1300 years. There will be a lot going on for her both emotionally and in terms of plot, and I already have a lot of it mapped out. If you have any ideas I would love to hear them. If you want more information on the future of this fic, you can check out my profile, where I keep information on my plans for this story.

Zabuzasgirl: I really can't update any more immediately than this. I was just finishing up the chapter when I got your review. Thanks for reviewing!

I hope I can update soon. 10 reviews to post the next chapter.

Chapter 14: On the March

I suspect that, had Queen Lucy been anyone other than Lucy, raising an army would have taken far longer than it did and have involved long debates on risk and strategy and what we could afford to lose for Archenland. As it was, once she heard my story (or the parts I had decided to let her hear, as I had omitted much on Aslan, Shasta's true identity and our journey together) she immediately called for Oreius and our other generals to rally troops and weapons as soon as possible. Our generals, being military men, were of course far more skeptical on the matter. But they were also Narnian, and we had never been in the habit of begrudging aid to an ally in his time of need. While they had urged us to be cautious and not rush into battle, they did not flinch at the idea of a full-scale attack on the Calormene invaders.

And so, by the time the sun rose, there was a large party of various creatures, animals and humans (for quite a few had come to us from Archenland and the Lone Islands over the course of the Pevensies' reign) all arming themselves and ready to march the second the order was given. I was gathered in the council room of Cair Paravel with Lucy, Oreius and other commanders who would be accompanying us on this journey: a rather gruff dwarf named Thrackgech, who would be leading our infantry, a lioness, Rakitia, and a leopard, Rymios, who would lead the cats, and a giant presiding over the six we would be taking with us, Stonemarrow . We were pouring over a large map of Archenland, and strategizing. Or rather, the generals were. Lucy, though a good fighter had never been one for military strategy and I saw no reason to interrupt, as the plans seemed perfectly sound. Likely once Edmund arrived, he would immediately take charge of the battalion, and he was by far the best military mind in Narnia.

At this point, Edmund and the rest of the passengers of the _Splendor Hyaline_ were the only thing missing in order to begin our march. The journey from Calormene took only three days, and the ship was therefore to be expected at any time. Though Thrackgech, who was rather a hothead, had urged us to move without delay, Lucy had adamantly refused to carry out this task without having first ensured her siblings' safe return. And, as she pointed out rather wisely, they could hardly march to Archenland without taking its Prince with them. And, as was expected, the horn announcing the sighting of the royal ship in the distance was heard just as the final preparations were completed.

Upon being greeted at the docks by Lucy and I, both armored and bearing our weapons, Edmund, Susan, Peridan and the rest immediately grew alarmed (though Corin was immediately eager at the prospect of a fight). Once the situation was explained to them, they immediately leapt into action. Edmund had the entirety of his party armed and mounted in minutes, and quickly joined the small army we had prepared, an excited Corin in tow.

Susan, however, had elected to stay behind. I did not blame her for that. After all, she was Rabadash's ultimate prize, and none of us wanted her any nearer to him than she had to be. What's more, we were taking no archers, as they would be rather useless in a surprise assault, and Susan had very little skill in open battle.

Soon after that, we were on our way.

While he could have gone to any of the generals accompanying us and started an elaborate discussion on battle strategy, King Edmund almost immediately found his way to my side. His mount did not come close to reaching the height of an armored Stormracer, on whose back I was riding, but that did not stop him from glaring directly at me.

"You kidnapped my horse," he accused.

"I assure you he was hardly unwilling to join me," I countered.

Edmund hardly seemed satisfied by that explanation.

"What were you doing anyway? And where is Philip now?"

"I was ensuring the safety of Corin's double. I could hardly let him go alone. You should count yourself lucky. After all, I would not have discovered Rabadash's plan otherwise, and he would not have made it across the desert to warn King Lune without my aid in crossing the desert."

"I'm never going to get any more than this out of you on the story, am I?"

"In time, I suspect you will learn more of it."

Edmund rolled his eyes, "And that will only happen at the time you find it most convenient, won't it?"

"Most likely," I deadpanned.

"And Philip?" Edmund prompted once more.

"I left him at the home of the hermit of the Southern March. He was too spent from the journey to go any further. I suspect he left as soon as he was able, however, and is making his way to us as we speak."

"He always was stubborn."

We both laughed, and I could almost feel Storm roll his eyes, though I could not have seen it as he was looking ahead to the land before us. Generally, he did not like travelling by land, as he felt it left him too vulnerable to enemies. However, in journeys like this, there was a need for him to stay with the party, and so he trod determinedly ahead, wishing all the while for the speed of flight.

"So, what plans have you all managed to scramble together without my brilliant military mind?" Edmund asked conversationally after a while.

I raised an eyebrow at his casual inquiry, "Shouldn't you be discussing tactics with your generals. I'm sure they'd have far more to say on the matter."

"Yes, well I'm sure you understand them just as well as they do, and you know that Thrackgech and Stonemarrow can't stand within speaking distance without arguing about something. If I find out that they've made a blunder of things then I'll do something about it, but these commanders are all competent enough to have something figured out."

I shook my head in disapproval at Edmund's attitude but indulged him anyway, "We're 300 in all: a company each of heavy cavalry and infantry, as well as two squads of cats and a squad of six giants. Rabadash has only 200 horsemen, so we have the advantage of numbers, and that's not even including the men of Anvard. Of course, Archenland is at peace and was expecting no attack, so it won't have many troops, but they'll still be a good hundred.

King Lune will have closed his gates as soon as he received Shasta's message, so Rabadash's plans for a surprise invasion will have been dashed by Lune's archers firing down from the battlements. From there we can only speculate at the position they will be in when we arrive. "

"They'll be looking for a way into the castle," Edmund speculated. "They won't have any catapults, so they'll have made themselves a battering ram and will be attempting to breach the main gates, while being picked off by Lune's archers from above."

"Oreius guessed the same. Rather foolish of the Calormenes, really. Rabadash's entire assault was based on surprise. With that gone, he's sure to lose," I added. "If he were a wiser man, he would have retreated as soon as his first assault failed."

"Of course, this is all assuming that your boy got through with the message in time to warn Lune," Edmund put in.

"He will have," I assured him.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Aslan."

My simple, one word answer made Edmund start, "Have you seen him?"

"A few times since we arrived in Tashbaan. He would not have offered me guidance unless he was sure we could succeed, nor would he have pushed us so far on the journey."

"What did he tell you, Rayna?" Edmund insisted.

I changed the subject ."You really should go talk to Oreius, Edmund. He was adamant that you be consulted on battle plans earlier."

Edmund gave a weary sigh, no doubt at my blatant avoidance of his questions, but urged his horse on. Storm turned his head to glance back at me.

"You two never fail to amuse me," he remarked.

It was true that Edmund and I had always had a strange sort of partnership. After all, he was one of the only ones who understood that pushing would do nothing if I was avoiding questions, and that I would only give out what information I desired. I, on the other hand, thought nothing of his quips and blatant statements (Edmund had learned only a little when it came to holding his tongue) and took them all with good humor. We knew how to work together well, and he was the ruler I went to when I wanted something strange done quickly and without question.

The younger king was a man who enjoyed the company of his soldiers far more than that of the court, and spent most of his time in the practice yard. He was a warrior man through and through, an equally good swordsman to his brother, and one of the best military strategists I had ever met. He was still as snarky as the boy he was when he came to Narnia, but now he knew how to use it in his favor both towards his men, easily rallying them to any cause, and against his enemies, becoming skilled at goading them into doing whatever he wanted. Peter, as High King, often led the army, but it was Edmund he relied upon in matters of war, and his brother always had his back, as I did in many other matters. It was one of the reasons that Edmund and I understood each other so well.

Peter, on the other hand was the diplomat of the two. He knew well the subtleties of the court and of alliances between countries, in no small part thanks to my teachings. He could smile and play the welcoming host, but was ruthless in negotiations, though he was skilled in compromise and knew how to persuade others that he was in the right. Peter carried with him an aura of leadership which was hard for anyone to ignore, and which made him respected all throughout this world.

I was pulled out of my reverie by Edmund's call for a halt and Corin's whoop of excitement. We had arrived at the mouth of the pass leading to Archenland, where the cottage of a family of dwarves stood. In front of that cottage was Cor (which explained Corin's joy. The twins seemed to have hit it off rather well during their brief meeting in Tashbaan). Corin scrambled off his pony and ran to greet the boy with excited chatter.

I hopped off of Storm's back and went to join Edmund and Lucy, who were making their way towards the two boys.

"Who is your Highness's friend?" Edmund asked Corin once he reached them.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Corin. "It's my double: the one you mistook me for at Tashbaan."

"The one our beloved Lady Rayna dragged halfway across the world," Edmund added, sending a sardonic glance my way.

"Isn't it marvelous?!" Lucy exclaimed, glancing between the two of them. "They really are doubles."

"As like as two twins," I commented, making the King and Queen of Narnia send strange looks my way. I did not make comments like that without cause. Edmund seemed to realize that and realization soon sparked in his eyes. I ignored his questioning look and instead addressed Cor, "Shouldn't you be at Anvard?"

"I met King Lune just as the hermit said," Cor explained, "and I gave him the warning, but I fell behind when we began riding and got lost in the fog and eventually found my way here." He hesitated, and then asked, "But I thought that you were back at the hermit's. How did you come all the way here without Philip?"

"With the help of an old friend." I gestured to Storm, whose massive white figure stood out from among the throng. Cor's eyes widened.

"Is that a dragon?" I smiled and turned away. I was sure Corin could explain Storm to his brother well enough without me.

The two royals joined me, for we would be engaged in battle almost as soon as we crossed the pass and there was much to prepare. No longer would we be a mismatched group of Narnians heading for Archenland. We would be an army.

"Rayna, go see to it that the men are formed into ranks and ready to do battle as soon as we reach Archenland," Edmund ordered, his battle commander's face firmly in place. "I need to speak with Oreius."

I nodded.

Edmund walked off, but not before pulling a rather sour old dwarf named Thornbut from the crowd.

"Watch over Prince Corin and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. You'll stay with him when the battle begins and make sure he doesn't go anywhere near it."

"Of course, my lord."

After that, it was a while before anyone could see through the chaos that was 300 assorted creatures readying themselves for battle.

Author's Note: How was that? Please review, and I'll post the next chapter when I get 10 reviews. Also, I need a new quote for my summary. Any ideas for a good one?

Thanks, Hecate


	36. Chapter 15: Battle for Anvard

Author's note: Last weekend was crazy. I had sooooo much work to do because classes are ending soon, so I guess it's just as well that I didn't get as many reviews as I asked for last week. Summer break is almost here, so from now on I've got much less work to do and I can focus more on updating.

On top of that, this chapter was strangely hard to write. I've been anticipating writing this scene for a while now but I ended up having problems with it. While writing the battle scene from LWW, I could watch the movie and get a really good idea of who was where doing what as well as what was going on globally. It's so much harder to deal with when all you have is writing. Still, I can only hope I did it justice. What do you think?

The battle for Archenland has finally arrived. The beginning of this chapter is annoyingly slow buildup, but it needed to be there. There's also a lot less interaction between characters and a lot more actual actions taking place, understandable for a battle scene.

Thanks as usual to all of those that reviewed: MCH, Always and a day Love, songwriter16, PJO-Blue-cookies, Random Reader and guests. My personal responses were getting kind of long, so I've put them at the end of the chapter. Please check it out if you left comments in your review. I hope to hear from all of you again.

I am still looking for a new quote from this fanfic that I can put in the summary. Any ideas?

8 reviews until I publish the next chapter.

Chapter 15: Battle for Anvard

"By the Lion's Mane, Corin this is too much!" Edmund's outraged shout rang through the chaos of the army. Almost instantly, a crowd gathered to see what all the fuss was about. "When will you learn to behave? You're more of a danger than the entire army put together. I'd rather lead a regiment of hornets than you!"

I sighed moved towards the huddle, which instantly parted to let me through.

"What's he done this time?" I asked, not speaking to anyone in particular.

It was Lucy who answered, "Corin didn't appreciate being babysat. He and Thornbut came to blows, which wouldn't have been a big deal since they're pretty evenly matched in wresting, but Thornbut tripped over a stone and sprained his ankle badly."

Sure enough, the dwarf in question was sitting on the ground, letting out a string of very creative curses. A couple of fawns were standing around him, having just finished helping him out of his armor. A little way away, Edmund stood over an abashed looking Corin, looking furious.

"I wish I had my cordial with me," Lucy continued regretfully. "I could have this mended in an instant, but Peter and Susan both agree that I shouldn't carry it so commonly to the wars. They agree it should be saved for emergencies."

"They just worry that one day you will need it desperately and by that time you'll have used it all up treating sprains and bruises," I said. "Thornbut won't be able to fight in the battle, but it's hardly anything serious and we'll likely see far worse today."

"Couldn't you heal it with magic?" Lucy asked.

"You know I only save it for emergencies."

Sure enough, though there were several witches whose talent was in healing, mine was not. Healing, for me, required a complicated piece of invocative magic, so I generally only attempted it when the only other option was death. I had no intentions of performing that sort of magic without having slept in over two days when I was just about to charge into battle. Even someone like me, whose capacity for exhaustion was far higher than most other creatures, such an attempt would lead to my collapsing.

"Sorry," Lucy apologized. "I had to ask. Well, there's nothing that can be done now. Thornbut will have to stay behind at the dwarves' cottage," Lucy decided. I nodded. The youngest queen always did make the best of things.

"Edmund!" I called. He looked up from his heated argument with Corin.

"What now?" he snapped.

"There's no need to shout," I scolded as he came over. "We need to leave as soon as possible, so try to control your temper."

"That boy is far too reckless," Edmund fumed. "He's insisting on joining the fight."

"Boys will be boys," I teased.

"Oh shut up. Now come on, we're just ready about ready to leave."

I let Edmund lead me away, glancing back to see Corin pulling his twin aside, talking frantically. I rolled my eyes. There was never any stopping Corin. I felt slightly sorry for the boy he would probably drag into much trouble in the future. For now, I'd just have to keep an eye on them during the battle, Cor especially as he was not trained for fighting.

We were just about fully prepared for the coming attack, and Edmund's order to "mount up" didn't take long to arrive. As we were all settled, however, we were once again interrupted, this time by the rather predictable arrival of Phillip. It was only after Edmund had reunited with his horse and had gotten him saddled and ready for the campaign (sending a few glares my way) that we finally rode out once more, this time as a battalion on the march instead of a band of friends.

We rode west, with the mountains on our left, banners fluttering in the wind, armor and swords glinting in the sun. Peridan, Oreius and Edmund kept busy with talk of battle and strategy, and Lucy spoke with Storm, who quite liked the younger queen. He always said that she reminded him of me when I was younger, less concerned with politics and plotting, and far more fun than I was now (I rather resented him for that). I was perfectly content to sit back and observe the scenery and the goings on of those around me, notably the two princes who were hanging back, Cor looking extremely uncomfortable on his horse.

As we rode, the path became narrower and began to wind more, following the side of the mountain. The drop on our right hand side became steeper. Soon, we were going single file along the rocky path, with only a steep drop on our left. Then, the path went left and south away from the cliff and rose up and became surrounded by trees so that we could see nothing. Now and then, we could see huge peak of Stormness Head and its eagles. They sensed the coming battle and had come to circle the mountain, preparing to feed once the fighting was done.

When we had crossed the neck of the pass and come a good deal lower we reached more open ground, from which we could see all of Archenland spread out before us, all the way to the desert beyond. We had, however, no time to admire the view. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky, though it was still high and bright. It did, however, remind us all that time was pressing and that we needed to move as fast as possible if we did not wish to find Anvard under Calormene control when we arrived.

We stopped once again for a few minutes, as the army finished last checks before the charge. Everywhere people were tightening girths, putting on helmets, drawing cloaks and throwing cloaks to the ground. The giants took the huge spiked boots they had been carrying on their backs and laced them tightly up to their knees. They slung their clubs over their backs and then got back into formation. And then there was the blast of war trumpets we were on the move again.

There was hardly any talking now. We were all very solemn and very wary. It was the dreadful moment of anticipation which comes before any battle. Then we began to hear noises far ahead: the shouts of men and the steady thud-thud thud of a battering ram. Edmund and Oreius had been right in their predictions. Foolish, really. If he was smarter (or more patient) he would have made ladders.

We topped a low ridge and we could see Anvard. It was a small, many-towered castle nestled among the hills and valleys of Archenland. Its gate was towards us, but shut and with the portcullis down. On the castle walls I could see the defenders of Anvard like little white dots, raining arrows down on the Calormene. At the base of the walls, about 50 Calormenes were dismounted, swinging a great tree trunk at the gate. A few had fallen, but they had their shields above their heads to protect themselves from the Archenlanders. The rest of the men were on foot ready to assault the gate. Among them I saw a few of Rabadash's most trusted Tarkhaans: Corradin, Azrooh, lamash, Ilgamuth and Anradin.

Rabadash's men were wonderfully trained, there was no doubt about it. In an instant, as they spotted our party careening down the hill, they moved towards their horses. However, our army was just as good. The cats leapt into action, separating themselves from the main party and circling round to cut the dismounted men off from their horses and attacking the poor beasts. Those that did not immediately bolt were downed in an instant. But the Calormenes were reforming. A line of about one hundred cavalry had managed to reform, and those whose horses were downed were still just as willing to fight.

They charged.

We were ready to meet them. As one, the Narnian force fell into a gallop, and the two lines were getting closer and closer. I was at the front, alongside Edmund, whose face was set in a grim line, ready for the fight. However, I did not meet the armies head on with the rest of the force. Instead, Storm lifted himself into the air in a smooth movement of his wings and then we were soaring above the battlefield.

This was a tactic that Edmund, Peter and I had often used when I was involved in any sort of battle. From above the field, I could see the battle unfolding. My task was to observe, report any developments to the commanders, and lend assistance to whichever section of the men was most in need of it. And a powerful sorceress on a dragon was definitely a great aid to an army in need. If we were lucky, though, my help would not be needed today.

And so I watched the proceedings as the two armies met to the deafening sounds of clashing swords, horses' hooves and battle cries. On the right flank, the giants were smashing their way through the Calormenes, while the cats continued to go at the riderless horses. The main bulk of the Narnian cavalry was pounding ceaselessly at the Calormene, who were fighting back with equal fervor. The center of the battle was a desperate tangle of swords and bodies and horses in a writhing mass.

There was a crash as one of the giants fell, an arrow through its eye. The other five, however, only seemed to become enraged and double their effort. I saw no need to deprive them of their vengeance.

Seeing as there was no pressing need for my assistance just yet, I quickly cast about looking for the two young princes. I spotted them easily, two children in a sea of experienced warriors. Corin was fighting splendidly, using all the experience he had gained in his years of training. He fought like a man, downing a Calormene as I watched. Clearly, he would be able to handle himself. Cor, however, was not faring so well. He had had no training in swordplay, and did not even know how to properly ride a horse (something I would definitely need to talk to Bree about when next I saw him). He had his entire right side exposed making no use of his shield, and was waving his sword about like a lunatic, nearly killing his own pony.

As I watched, a Calormene rider swung at him as he rode by, knocking the blade out of his hand instantly. A few more seconds later, a spear came at him. Instantly, I sent a wind current his way, pushing his body out of the way of the sword, causing him to fall off his horse. I wheeled Stormracer around, landing him by the boy's fallen form just as I summoned a rock to crush the attacker's head. Cor was winded, but uninjured. He looked up at me, his face slightly bloody from a cut on his forehead, likely attained from the fall.

"Stay down!" I instructed before I was off again.

The Calormenes' horses were all gone by now, either dead or fled, and the cats had launched themselves at the battering ram, which had up to now still been pounding away at the gates. On foot, and unable to reach their swords in time, the ram-men were downed. That task done, the cats wheeled back to the main battle and began to tear at the left flank of Rabadash's army.

Hemmed in on three sides, the Calormene forces were beginning to fail. But rabaashhad made yet another big mistake. Had he not charged the Narnian troops, he could have kept his rear protected. As it was, he had exposed it to attack from the men of Anvard. And now, those men were using that advantage. Anvard's great gates were opening, and its troops began to spill out. They were only about 50 of them, but that was more than enough to press at the backs of the Calormenes, surrounding them completely while continuing to rain arrows down upon them.

Once more, I swung down from my vantage point, this time approaching Edmund, driving my sword into a Calormene as I landed. The Just King had just been lopping off some Tarkhaan's head.

"The Archenlanders have organized a sortie," I informed him as we fought side by side.

"I see that. Tell me how the battle is unfolding," Edmund responded.

I guessed that he knew what was happening perfectly well, but wanted confirmation instead of relying on his limited view of the battlefield.

"The Calormene are all but defeated. They've been pushed back nearly to Anvard's gate, and are surrounded on all sides, fighting back to back," I confirmed for his benefit.

"What of Rabadash?"

"I saw him near the gate just moments ago, still fighting with all his might."

"Then perhaps it's high time he met me."

"I'll leave you to it then."

Edmund rode off, but Storm and I didn't bother flying up again. We knew where things stood in the battle, and we could fight perfectly well from the ground. My double-bladed sword became a blur of shining metal and blood red, and around me flew the elements I unleashed on the surrounding forces. Beneath me, the dragon was snapping his jaws at any enemy within reach, swinging his tail at those that tried to attack him from behind.

And then, I began to see that around me the fighting had stopped. There were no longer Calormenes attacking around us, and the only remnants of the battle seemed to be in the few duels still taking place at the base of the castle walls. Soon enough, that stopped as well.

The Calormenes were utterly defeated.

**Guest:** I really love les miserables and that is one of my favorite quotes from it. When I asked for a quote though, I meant one from the fic that I could use for the summary, so it doesn't really work for what I had in mind. I might find a way to use it later in the story, just because that's a great song and I think it might really fit for the Prince Caspian bits (as in freeing themselves from the Telmarines). Thanks!

**MCH:** I agree that the reminder of the betrothal is sort of sad considering that the Golden Age is coming to a close. I am dreading having to write them leaving. As you said, on to chapter 14. I really do see Edmund and Rayna acting like siblings, and I really love writing them together. Rayna's relationship to him is very different to Peter's because although she loves Peter, Edmund is better when it comes to underhanded plotting (I will refer y ou to the brilliant Miraz/Edmund scene that I really can't wait to write). This, as I see it, comes from his natural snarky personality mixed with the influence of seeing Rayna's constant plots. They've spent 14 years helping each other, and as you said, he definitely has her back. Rayna, however, is always slightly too focused on Narnia as a whole and looks at it as him helping Narnia and not herself, but she definitely shares a close relationship with him and trusts him completely. I really appreciate all your comments and hope to hear more from you soon.

**Guest:** I'm glad to hear that you appreciate the story. Thanks for your comment, it's really helpful because I worry a lot about making sure she doesn't slip into Mary Sue territory. She has her qualities, her faults, her own strengths and weaknesses and I try to make sure that they balance out and that I never take cheap shortcuts with the character (which is the main reason that I spend a lot of time limiting her magic). Also, can I just say that I love your rating system? I really love knowing exactly what people think of my story and a perfect rating just makes me really happy. Keep reading.

**Songwriter16:** I definitely love Edmund and Rayna's relationship, because he's just a great character and she's able to let loose a little around him. I just love writing their banter, and I will definitely keep exploring their relationship. You also just made me realize that it's been about 10 chapters since I've written about Peter. I try to make their romance realistic, and I definitely want Rayna to have her own character and storyling and not be dependent on some guy, but I really am starting to miss him. Still, it won't be long until we see him (and then he just leaves again anyway).

**PJO-Blue-cookies: **As always, I'm interested to hear your question. Rayna will be going back to her non-aging teenage state wen the Pevensies leave. For justification on this, I will refer you to her conversation with Aslan in part 1, chapter 18 _Coronation_ (see, I've been planning ahead for this). Hope to hear more from you after this chapter.

Remember: 8 reviews!


	37. Chapter 16: Reunion

Author's note: Sorry about the delay, my internet connection was acting up. Here's the next chapter. As it turns out, the scenes directly following a battle are by far harder to write than the battle itself. I am glad you all liked the battle of Anvard.

This chapter: Cor finds out about his identity, and there is finally another conversation between Lune and Rayna, as well as just a little bit of Edmund's cheekiness. I have two more chapters and an epilogue planned for this part, and then the Pevensies will unfortunately be gone for 1300 years. I will miss them.

As always, please check out my profile if you want to know about my plans for this story or any others. I already have most of the rest of the story mapped out.

Responses to your reviews are at the bottom of the page, but as usual thanks to all those that reviewed: HeartFyre, MCH, PJO-Blue-cookies, LovableAmethyst129, songwriter16, allycat23 and Guest.

I will publish the next chapter once I reach 6 reviews.

Chapter 16: Reunion

_April 16__th__, 1014 - Anvard_

Once the fighting had ended, we all found our way to the gates of the Anvard, where Edmund and King Lune were greeting each other, shaking hands across the abandoned battering ram. The few living Calormenes were being led into the castle as prisoners, and there was much cheerful conversation as the Narnians and Archenlanders rejoiced over the victory.

I studied the battlefield carefully. The battlefield was littered with dead Calormenes, only 40 or so having survived the onslaught. Our losses, however, were minor. We had lost less than 50 between us, including one of the giants. While the surviving Calormenes were in large parts battered and badly injured, a great deal of our army had endured no more than cuts and bruises. Those who had been wounded were being rushed into the castle, and a few healers, among which was Lucy, were already scattered around the field tending to those who could not be moved and searching for survivors.

Several others were getting up from where they had fallen during the battle, gravitating towards the crowd. Among them I spotted a familiar blonde haired boy. I smiled to myself, glad to see that Cor had succeeded in staying out of trouble.

"Storm," I called softly, dismounting and facing my friend. "Keep an eye on that one for me, will you?"

"Naturally," Storm agreed, turning to join the boy.

Satisfied by this, I made my way to Edmund. There would be serious matters to talk of soon, once the thrill of the fight was over, and I would need to be there. Unfortunately, that also meant an encounter with Lune, which I would have to endure sooner or later. I could only hope that the events of the last few days would warm him up to me at least a little. I disliked the tension between us.

"There you are, Rayna," Edmund greeted me as I approached. "I was wondering where you'd got to."

"I was taking stock of our casualties," I explained.

"Nothing too serious, I hope."

I shook my head, "We've done remarkably well. Our dead our relatively few in number, and very few are gravely wounded. I cannot say the same about the Calormenes, though I did not see any sign of Rabadash. Does anyone know what's happened to him?"

"Not as of yet," Edmund responded. "We're searching for him now, but I doubt he ran off. The fool is far too proud for that."

"A proud fool indeed," Lune grumbled, putting in a word for the first time since he had arrived. "He has forfeited any honor he had in coming here in time of peace, seeking to kill and conquer."

I turned to him and curtsied lightly, "King Lune, it is a pleasure, as always."

Lune eyed me cautiously, his gaze lingering on the bloody sword slung across my back, but seemed to be grudgingly happy to see me.

"We have much to speak of."

I nodded, "I assume this is about the boy. I trust that by now you have guessed his identity."

Lune was prevented from answering him by a great roar of laughter, which rose up suddenly from the crowd a little way away. Edmund, who was just as puzzled at the cause of this as I was, called to a passing soldier.

"What's going on over there?"

"They've found Prince Rabadash, your highness!" he called back jovially.

Edmund glanced back at Lune and I, "We should take care of this buisness with Rabadash as soon as possible. Your conversation will have to wait until later."

Edmund was right. While I sensed Lune's frustration over the matter, I also knew that Rabadash would have to be dealt with, and fast. The princes would have to be discussed later. And so, without complaints, I followed Edmund's lead and cut through the crowd of soldiers surrounding the spot where Rabadash had been found.

Even with all my talents of prediction, I could never have expected this. The scene we found upon reaching the prince was without a doubt one of the most comic things I had seen in a long time. Rabadash was suspended from the castle walls, about two feet off the ground, flailing wildly. His chainmail shirt was hiked up, halfway covering his face, and tight under his arms. The shirt itself seemed to be caught on some sort of hook in the wall, trapping the Calormene prince in an absurd position.

It took a while to figure out what had happened, as everyone was laughing and shouting, and attempting to tell some detail of the story all at once. Finally, however, we managed to piece together what had happened.

Early in the battle, one of the giants had made a stamp at Rabadash. The blow had missed, but one of the spikes on the giant's boot had torn the chain mail at his back. Rabadash did not let that stop him, and so the fight had gone on. Eventually, Edmund and Rabadash had met, swords clashing at the gates of Anvard itself. Edmund, by far the better swordsman, had begun to press him back, closer and closer to the wall, and Rabadash had jumped up on a mounting block and started raining blows upon the Edmund. The battle between the two was never resolved, the press of battle pulling the two apart, and Rabadash had realized that while his position gave him an advantage over the swordsmen attacking him from below, it also made him a mark for every one of Lune's archers. He had therefore jumped down with a cry of "The bolt of Tash falls from above!" Likely this would have been very impressive, had the hole in the back of his hauberk not caught on a hook in the wall, leaving him trapped.

This was how we found him.

"Let me down, Edmund," Rabadash howled in challenge as we approached. "Let me down and fight me like a king and a man; or if you are too great a coward for that, kill me at once."

"Gladly," began Edmund, his hand falling to his sword hilt, but I placed a cautioning hang on his wrist.

"This is not the time for a duel," I hissed into his ear.

"I think not," King Lune objected. He then turned to Rabadash and addressed him formally, "Your royal Highness, if you had given that challenge a week ago, I would say that there was none in Narnia, from the High King down to the smallest talking mouse, who would have refused it. But by attacking this castle unprovoked in time of peace, you have proven yourself no knight but a traitor and a coward. You are not worthy of crossing swords with any person of honor."

The crowd fell into silent reproach at his words, the general hatred towards Rabadash taking precedence over the ridiculousness of his situation.

"Take him down, bind him and carry him inside until we find a time to decide what we shall do with him." I ordered, taking action before any of the many soldiers watching decided to do something rash, which now seemed a likely possibility.

Strong hands wrenched Rabadash's sword from him and he was carried away into the castle, shouting, threatening, cursing and even crying. I suspected that though he could have withstood torture, he could not bear to be made ridiculous. After all, in Calormen everyone had always taken him seriously.

"King Lune, you mentioned we have much to talk about. I believe it is time to address the matter of your sons," I pulled the king's attention away from the scene.

He turned to me just as Corin decided to show himself, dragging Cor behind him as he plowed through the crowd with a shout of "Father!"

"There you are, at last," Lune said Lune in a very gruff voice. "And you have been in a battle, contrary to my wishes and King Edmund's orders. At your age, you should be playing with stick swords not swinging steel at other men." But everyone, including Corin, could see that he was very proud of his son.

"Your Highness," intervened Darrin, one of the Archenlandish lords, "I would not chide him overmuch, he is after all your son. I believe that it would grieve you more if he had not inherited your zeal for battle."

"Well, we'll pass it over for the time. And now –" his gaze landed on Cor, and I saw a myriad of emotions flash across his face. He embraced Cor in a bear like-hug. Then Lune released him and positioned him to stand next to Corin, facing his lords. "Now, gentlemen, look at them both. Has any man any doubts."

All the assembled lords stared at the two twins, all of them slowly realizing what was happening, and that their lost prince had returned. Then there was a great shout of joy and everyone was cheering and clapping Cor on the back. Cor himself looked utterly confused.

"I see now why you ran off with the boy," Edmund chuckled beside me.

"I did say that you would know the truth in time."

"I never doubted you for a second," he smiled lightly, his gaze never moving from the group surrounding Cor, "Somebody really ought to rescue him from there."

"That's just what I was thinking," I agreed, striding forward to Lune, "Perhaps you should take Cor aside and explain things to him. He does not understand yet who he is."

After that, Lune quickly dispersed the crowd, taking aside Cor and Corin, as well as Lucy, Edmund and I and brought us to a small room in a secluded room of the castle, where we could avoid the disturbance of the armies still scattered around Anvard. There, Lune told Cor everything. He spoke of the boy's birth, the prophecy, and of the prince's disappearance when he was just a boy.

"And so you have returned to us," he concluded as he finished his tale, "just as the centaur's prophecy fore told, to save us from a great danger. I am only sorry that your mother could not live to see this day."

"But," sputtered Cor seemingly overwhelmed but what he had learned, "I didn't do anything really."

"Of course you did something!" the boy's father objected fiercely. "You warned us of the attack on Anvard, which would otherwise have been taken."

"But that wasn't just me. I had Hwin and Aravis and Bree, even Lady Rayna."

I shook my head, "But you went on when they could not, and in that you have proved yourself a hero of Archenland. As for me, I was only there to watch over you, as Aslan instructed of me."

Cor seemed to study me carefully, "How long have you known?"

"Since you were first taken into the Narnian party at Tashbaan."

"How?" he pressed. "And why didn't you tell me?"

"Corin would have talked more," I pointed out. "And I did tell you all that I could. The rest was not for you to know, not until now. The timing was not right."

"What does that even mean?"

Edmund chose this moment to give his signature grin, "I wouldn't push too far. Rayna's always like that."

"Oh, hush," scolded Lucy.

"All the same, I owe you my thanks for your part in this, my Lady," Lune addressed me formally. "It seems I have misjudged you."

I nodded solemnly, "It was understandable, all things considered," I said, referring to the long past war I had once waged on Archenland.

Once that tense conversation was over, Lune immediately turned back to his son, "Tomorrow, Cor, I shall take you around the castle and see each of its rooms and mark its strengths and weaknesses, for it will be yours to guard when I am gone."

"But Corin will be king then," said Cor.

"Nay, you are my heir. The crown will come to you."

"But I don't want it," Cor objected, "I'd rather –"

"This is not a question of what you want, nor even what I want. It is the law. You and Corin may be twins, but one must come first and you are Corin's elder by a good twenty minutes."

At this Cor looked at his brother with regret etched on his features, "I never wanted this at all, and I am sorry Corin. I never dreamed my turning up would chisel you out of your kingdom."

Corin on the other hand looked absolutely ecstatic, "Hurrah! I shan't have to be king! I'll always be a prince. It's princes that have all the fun."

"But—" Cor began, only to be cut off by his newfound sibling.

"If you say another word about it I'll knock you down."

And that was that. I suspected that many arguments between the two in years to come would end with Corin threatening the other boy. Still, I could also guess at the great friendship that would also spring up between them. Things were now as they should be.

Author's note:

**HeartFyre: **Rayna definitely has her own things going on, and she will have even more problems when the Pevensies are no longer around to rule Narnia. I really miss writing her and Peter together, but for story purposes I just can't have him around all the time without making Rayna completely and ridiculously dependent. I can't wait to write him again, unfortunately just before he leaves. I am going to get a lot into what Rayna will have to deal with when the Pevensies are gone and the Telmarine threat rises. And yes, she will almost definitely be at Cair Paravel during the attack.

**MCH: **The battle scene was hard to write, so I'm glad you appreciate it. I would have liked to get a little bit more violence in, but I felt that what happened was true to what Edmund and Rayna would do during a battle when they have to work together. As for what happens next, that is for me to know and you to find out, so you'll just have to keep reading, though I do give some details about my plans for Rayna on my profile, if you want to check it out. As always, thank you for being such a loyal reader.

**LovableAmethyst129: **Yes, that does count as a review.

**Songwriter16: **I'm glad you liked the way I portrayed the battle. I'm also really happy that you managed to pick up on Rayna not being involved unless needed, as the battle sequence illustrates how she does that in pretty much every aspect of her life. I do feel that Rayna's personality isn't completely gentle, and she will kill her enemies if she feels it is necessary, but it would be just a little out of character for her to get so involved. She did participate a lot more in the battle in LWW, but even then I only wrote her coming in once the battle had already started, and that conflict was also much more personal to her because of her mother.

**Allycat23:** I hope I can keep you satisfied with the rate at which I update. Glad that you like the story, keep reading and feel free to give me as much feedback as possible.


	38. Chapter 17: Rabadash Made Ridiculous

Author's Note: So sorry about the long delay. I was away on vacation for a little while with no access to a computer. My updating will probably be very sparse for the rest of the summer, as I'll be leaving for weeks on end, but I will try to get as much out as possible.

On another note, I would love to hear any ideas, either for the next part concerning the dark ages or the Prince Caspian plotline, as well as any other pointers you'd care to leave me. As usual, I love to hear comments and will take everything I get into consideration.

In this chapter: Rabadash's punishment, followed by a bit of Rayna and Edmund. I love writing those two. It's mostly taken directly from the book, minus a few details I have shifted, left out or added so to those of you who know it it will be pretty straightforward.

If I can get 6 reviews by tomorrow evening, I will probably be able to post another chapter before I leave for camp on Tuesday. After that, I'm stranded with no computer for another two weeks.

Thank you to all those that reviewed: MCH, HeartFyre, PJO-Blue-cookies, songwriter16, emmettcullenlover7 and guest. Responses to your reviews are at the bottom of the page.

Chapter 17: Rabadash made Ridiculous

_April 17__th__, 1014 – Anvard_

The next evening, once the wounded had been tended to and the castle's defenses repaired, there was a feast in the great hall of Anvard. There was food of every variety in great quantities, and much talk and laughter between the Archenlanders and the Narnians. When everyone was full to bursting and the plates had been cleared, however, the mood quickly grew more somber. King Lune heaved a great sigh and then addressed the matter on everyone's mind.

"We still have that sorry creature Rabadash on our hands, and must now resolve what to do with him."

The king turned to his sons and his lord, seated to his right at the high table, then to King Edmund, Queen Lucy and I as well as the rest of the Narnian lords and generals on his right, before finally facing the crowd of men and creatures sitting on benches in the hall below our dais. Once he had looked over all the solemn faces and had assured himself there were no protests or objections, he called to the guards manning the doors to the hall.

"Bring him here!"

The men scurried off to retrieve the prisoner. As we waited, the Archenlandish lords took it upon themselves to speak.

"Sire," came Lord Darrin's voice, "you would have a perfect right to strike off his head. Such an attack made in time of peace puts him on a level with assassins and traitors."

"That is very true," said Edmund, "but even a traitor can be redeemed. I have known one that did."

At this, I sent a concerned glance at the young king, but he ignored it.

"To kill Rabadash could provoke a war with the Tisroc," Peridan pointed out.

"A fig for the Tisroc!" grumbled Lune. "His strength is in numbers and numbers will never make it across the desert"

"And besides," I added, "the Tisroc is cautious of Narnia. According to the Tarkheena Aravis, he has sworn to withhold any aid to his son and claim no responsibility for Rabadash's actions. We should expect no rebuttal for our actions against Rabadash, though I admit I would be loath to kill the fool."

Lune nodded, "I have no stomach for killing men in cold blood, even those as vile as Rabadash. I would not have objected to slicing his throat in battle, but now that he is our prisoner it is a different matter."

It was then that Lucy put in her word, "Can't we just let him go free with a solemn oath that he will make no other attack on Narnia on Archenland ever again. Maybe he has learned that we are not to be underestimated and will keep his word."

"That's a rather naïve notion, Lu. We could never be certain that he would not attack us again, though I would not object to getting another chance to beat him in battle," was her brother's reply.

At that moment, the doors opened once more and Rabadash was brought in in chains. Looking at him, anyone would guess that he had spent the night in a dungeon with no bed or food. He had in fact been put in a modest but comfortable room, and had been offered an excellent supper, but he had spent most of his time sulking, cursing the Narnians and Archenlanders and swearing revenge and had therefore not slept and hardly touched his food and naturally looked very disheveled.

When Lune addressed the prince, his tone was the formal and unflinching one of a king, "Your Majesty need not be told that by the law of nations as well as by all reasons of prudent policy, we have as good a right to your head as ever one man had against another. Nevertheless, in consideration of your youth and the war-like and uncourteous nature of the land of slaves and tyrants in which you were raised, we are disposed to set you free, unharmed on these conditions: first, that – "

"Curse you barbarian dogs!" spluttered Rabadash. "Do you think I will even hear your conditions? You talk much of peace and mercy. Easy to say to a man in chains, but unbind me and put a sword in my hands, and then we shall see who dares to face me!"

Nearly all the lords sprang to their feet. Even Edmund looked like he would love to take Rabadash up on his offer, and Corin, ever-eager did not neglect to put in his word.

"Father! Can I box him? Please."

"Peace! Your Majesties! My Lords!" chastised King Lune. "Are we so foolish as to be so provoked by the taunt of one such as him? Sit down, Corin, or you will leave this table. I ask your Highness again to hear our conditions."

"I hear no conditions from barbarians and sorcerers!"

"There is only one sorceress here," I corrected, "and I would advise against angering her."

Rabadash sent me a disdainful look, but kept on stubbornly, "Not one of you dares touch a hair on my head. Every insult you have heaped on me shall be paid with oceans of Narnian and Archenlandish blood. Terrible shall the vengeance of the Tisroc be even now, but kill me, and the burnings and torturings of these northern lands shall become a tale to frighten the world a thousand years hence. Beware! Beware! Beware! The bolt of Tash falls from above!"

"Does it ever get caught on a hook halfway?" japed Corin.

"Shame, Corin," said Lune. "Never taunt a man save when he is stronger than you: then, as you please."

"Your threats are empty, Rabadash," I said, "And you have rejected our attempts to allow you to repent your crimes and go in peace." It was then that I saw the golden figure from the shadows of the hall. I sighed, "You foolish Rabadash. It will be your undoing."

At that moment, everyone noticed the majestic figure of Aslan and rose from their seats in reverence as he came to pace softly between Rabadash and the high table.

"Rabadash," came Aslan's soft, unfathomably wise voice, "Take heed. Your doom is very near, but you may still avoid it. Forget you pride (what have you to be proud of?) and your anger (who has done you wrong?) and accept the mercy of these good kings."

Then Rabadash rolled his eyes and spread his mouth into a horrible, mirthless grin like a shark and wagged his ears up and down. In Calormen, this grimace had likely earned him much cowering and terror from those towards whom he directed it, but it is easy to frighten people who knew you could have them killed painfully in a second. Here, where he was a prisoner to free kings of Narnia and Archenland, the expression looked frankly ridiculous.

"Demon! Demon! Demon!" shrieked the Prince. "I know you. You are the foul fiend of Narnia. You are the enemy of the gods. Learn who I am, horrible phantasm. I am descended from Tash, the inexorable, the irresistible. The curse of Tash is upon you. Lightning in the shape of scorpions shall be rained on you. The mountains of Narnia shall be ground into dust. The –"

"Have care, Rabadash," said Aslan quietly. "The doom is nearer now. It is at the door. It has lifted the latch."

"Let the skies fall, let the earth gape! Let blood and fire obliterate the world! Be sure I will never desist till I have dragged to my palace buy her hair the barbarian queen, the daughter of dogs, the –"

"The hour has struck!"

It was then that Rabadash began to change. Throughout his speech, Rabadash continued to wag his ears, and now they were growing longer and more pointed and soon were covered with grey hair. Then his face began to change too, growing longer and thicker at the top and larger eyed, and the nose sank back into the face and there was hair all over it. And now his arms grew longer and came down in front of him till his hands were resting on the ground: only they weren't hands now, they were hooves. The crowd roared with laughter as they took in Rabadash on all fours, his clothes disappeared, unmistakably a donkey. I stayed solemn, my eyes staying fixed on the scene before me and watching the great lion in an attempt to divine his exact intentions.

Rabadash's human speech lasted just a moment longer than his human shape, so that when he realized the change that was coming over him, he screamed out.

"Oh, not a Donkey! Mercy! If it were even a horse – e'en – a – hor – eeh – auh, eeh-auh." And so the words died away into a donkey's bray.

"Now hear me, Rabadash," said Aslan. "Justice shall be mixed with mercy. You shall not always be a donkey."

At this the donkey twitched its ears forward – causing a new wave of laughter from the crowd. I smiled lightly. Of course, Rabadash's punishment must teach him humility, and I saw now the purpose of the sentence Aslan was placing on the unfortunate prince.

"You have appealed to Tash, and in the temple of Tash you shall be healed. You must stand before the altar of Tash in Tashbaan at the great autumn feast this year and there, in the sight of all Tashbaan, your ass's shape will fall from you and all men will know you for Prince Rabadash. But as long as you live, if ever you go more than ten miles away from the great temple in Tashbaan you shall instantly become again as you are now. And from that second change there will be no return."

Silence had fallen at the great lion's words, and in an instant he was gone. The crowd stirred as if waking from a dream. Indeed, they would likely have thought it was a dream for not for the donkey standing in front of us, looking pitiful enough that King Lune seemed to find some measure of compassion for him.

"You royal Highness," he said, "I am sorry that things have come to this extremity. Your Highness will bear witness that it was none of our doing. And of course we shall be delighted to provide your Highness back to Tashbaan for the –er– treatment which Aslan has prescribed. You shall have every comfort which your Highness's situation allows: the best of ships, the freshest carrots and thistles –"

But a deafening bray from Rabadash and a well-aimed kick at one of the guards made it clear that these offers were ungratefully received. After that, Rabadash was quickly escorted out of the hall and to the King's largest stables while he waited to be sent back to Tashbaan, and the real fun began.

King Lune certainly knew how to throw a party. In the great hall of Anvard, the wine flowed freely, and there were tales told and jokes cracked, largely at the expense of Rabadash. After a while, the tables were pushed aside to make room for performers: jugglers and acrobats and fire-breathers and then, to a great cheer and much applause, the King's poet accompanied by two fiddlers. He sang the great old lay of fair Olvin and how he fought the two-headed giant Pire and turned him into stone, (becoming the double-peaked Mount Pire) and won the Lady Liln for his bride. Then others stepped forward and told tales as well, of battles and heroic deeds and legends from long ago, and finally Lucy came forward and told the tale of the Wardrobe and the Winter Revolution to overthrow the White Witch.

"You've been looking thoughtful all evening," Edmund remarked, ignoring the story we'd both lived through anyway.

"I've been thinking about Rabadash's punishment," I explained.

"You don't approve?" the Just King prodded.

I sent an irritated look his way, "It's not for us to approve or disapprove of Aslan's judgment." I replied shortly. Edmund stayed quiet but continued to stare questioningly at me. I sighed, "It was a necessary action, after all Rabadash needed to be taught a lesson, but I've always disliked turning people into things as punishment."

"It's not because of your mother's habit of turning people into stone, is it?" Edmund continued, not missing a beat.

"Not really, though I never approved of that. It's – turning someone into an object, or an animal, is like imposing your will on something else, overcoming everything they are until they have to be what you want them to be. What's worse, the victim retains their own thoughts and consciousness so they are aware of everything that's happening to them even though they are no longer themselves."

Edmund contemplated this for a moment before recalling, "You weren't laughing earlier just after he changed."

"It was a serious punishment to an offense committed on his part, not a way of turning him into a joke. Still, I can only hope Aslan will have succeeded in teaching him some humility."

"I suppose this wouldn't be an appropriate time to point out he was an ass in the first place," Edmund grinned. I rolled my eyes, hit him lightly on the arm and laughed. Soon enough, the both of us were giggling madly.

"Is there a joke you'd like to share, Ed?" Lucy's reproachful tone cut through our mirth, annoyed at our interruption to her retelling.

"Sorry, Lu, were we interrupting?" Edmund's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Please do go on."

Well, at least now I knew everything was back to normal. I smiled, touching the still-invisible engagement ring on my finger. Soon enough, we would all be reunited once more.

Author's Note:

MCH: You're right, she is an outsider. Though she is very close to the Narnian Kings and Queens, Lune has never been very fond of her. On top of that, she is much older, more experienced and more knowledgeable than any of them. She has a past that they don't fully know or really understand, as well as family connections that give her a bit of a darker side, magical abilities that people are largely apprehensive about (not Rabadash's comment of sorceress in this chapter), and of course she always has her information and schemes that she keeps largely hidden. Because of this, she id separate both because she willingly chooses to be, because she feels she must isolate herself and work behind the scenes for the good of Narnia and because people find her very inaccessible. All of this will of course be explored and emphasized during later parts of the story, but I love how you picked up on it.

HeartFyre: Rayna is in many ways very charismatic, but she also acts mysterious and reveals very little. That, as well as her shadier origins (she is related to the White Witch after all and spent years calling herself the Witch's assassin), the fact that quite a few people suspect magic and the fact that she is high ranking and close to the kings and queens (that will come in later) makes her suspicious and not at all likeable to a lot of people (read above comment for a few more details). I'm glad you think it's realistic. I like to try and think about a lot of the plot in terms of medieval-esque court life. After all, no one really likes each other amongst high-ranking nobles and politicians (again, wait to read more about that). As for Peter, their reunion will most definitely not be smooth. Considering he's been away for 1300 years at and he acts like a complete jerk in Prince Caspian (the movie at least), she's hardly going to leap into his arms. What else… After Prince Caspian, she won't be sticking around all throughout Narnian history, but she won't be leaving immediately with the Pevensies, if that's what you meant. I have a (hopefully) great ending planned for her which I feel fits the character. I hope that's enough. If you want more information on my plans for the rest of the story, feel free to check out my profile, as I keep information and tidbits on there. I'm done rambling; enjoy the rest of the story.

PJO_Blue-cookies: I actually have no problem with you saying the same thing as long as it's that you enjoy it. I love to hear from you. Please leave any questions or comments at any time, and keep reading. So glad to have your support.

Songwriter16: Edmund is hilarious in any situation, but especially when he's annoyed. I love writing him, especially his interactions with Rayna. I'm glad you think Rayna's dealings with others are realistic, because I try to give her a different and interesting dynamic with all the other characters. Rayna's way of acting and thinking is definitely unique to those around her, so I'm really happy you think it's understandable. As for her dealings with Rabadash and the twins, I can only say that diplomacy has always been one of her stronger points. As always, thanks for reviewing, I love that you support and follow the story. I hope you like this chapter.

Emmettcullenmlover7: I am definitely continuing, though the sequel will probably be incorporated into this story and not a separate fanfic.


	39. Chapter 18: A Happy Reunion

Author's note: So sorry for the long delay. I spent most of my vacation travelling, which made writing hard. I'm back, though, and I am planning on continuing with more regular updates.

I found this chapter really hard to write. It ended up being really sappy and I'm not too happy with it. However, I don't want to keep you waiting much longer and I figured that since Peter will be gone soon I am allowed a little fluff.

A friend of mine asked me exactly how far Peter and Rayna had gone during their 14-year relationship, so the end of this chapter is an attempt at answering that. It probably wasn't that great, so please feel free to comment and/or question as much as you want.

As always, thanks to those that reviewed: HeartFyre and Guest

HeartFyre: I love reading your reviews, and I really found your idea interesting. I agree that Rayna would not just sit back for 1300 years even with her astounding patience. However, I do have a lot of ideas for what she would actually be doing during the Dark Ages and while she would hardly be leading a revolution, she would be running her own schemes, and not just waiting around for no reason. If you want more info on this, I please look at my profile, where I keep updates on my plans for this fanfic. Again, I'm sorry that I'm not going to use your idea, but it would really interfere with my plans for part 3 of this story. Keep reading, I look forward to your reviews.

Due to overwhelming writer's block on this chapter, I ended up writing a good chunk of the epilogue in the meantime, which means I can probably get it out very soon if I get enough reviews (of which I had an overwhelmingly small amount on the last chapter).

I will publish the epilogue and therefore finish part 2 as soon as I get 7 reviews and, as always, I am open to anything you care to write and I will respond to the best of my abilities.

Chapter 18: A Happy Reunion

_May 23__rd__ 1014 – Cair Paravel _

"They're here!" Lucy's jubilant cry rang out as she saw the approaching army.

We were up on the balcony overlooking the northern side of Cair Paravel, watching as the mass of various people, animals and creatures surged towards us. Peter and his army were finally returning home from the war against the giants. Their return had been expected weeks ago, but they had been delayed by continued resistance from a small pocket of the giant army, even while the others had surrendered. Edmund had come close to marching up there himself with reinforcements when we had heard news of the fall of the rebels. We had been waiting eagerly ever since for Peter's return.

Though it had only been minutes since one of our guards had spotted the Narnian host on the horizon and come to alert us, it was already possible to hear the clamor of the men, singing, shouting and joking merrily as they returned to their homeland. Soon enough, we would be able to pick out the distinct figures of the leading men, among which I knew we would see Peter, golden hair gleaming in the sun, all in shining armor atop a white unicorn. His title of Peter the Magnificent always suited him so well. The man seemed to always look as if he had come straight out of a fairytale.

I was unable to appreciate the sight, however as Susan took it upon herself to call us back to our senses.

"Well come on then," she called. "Our brother is returning and it's only proper he receive a royal greeting."

"Oh come off it Susan!" Edmund groaned. "Who cares whether or not he gets a procession? I know I don't and I'm pretty sure he won't either."

Susan fixed him with a steely glare, "Well he'll have one anyway. Now go make yourself presentable. You look like you've been rolling around with the pigs"

In truth Edmund did look rather shabby. He'd been in the middle of a rather intense duel turned wrestling match when he'd been interrupted by the news of his brother's arrival. He, however, didn't seem to think that this fact mattered much and merely rolled his eyes.

"Yes, mum," he quipped before reluctantly obeying, leaving Lucy and I to deal with Susan.

"That applies to the two of you as well," she said before striding off to gather the Narnians.

By the time the crowd reached the gates of Cair Paravel not even a half hour later, the Gentle Queen had managed to gather an escort of guards to formally greet the party. As Peter rode in, splendid as ever, a great fanfare of trumpets rang across the yard and two lines of assorted centaurs and fauns raised their swords high to honor the returning king, creating a path for him to ride through, at the end of which Susan had lined up her siblings, now looking perfectly dignified in royal garb. Of course that illusion shattered the second Peter got off Tanwen's back, smiling.

"You never disappoint, Su," he joked, eyeing the welcome his sister had put together for him.

She smiled, "Wes, well we do still have appearances to keep up. You are a king and you couldn't just arrive to –" her speech cut off with a shriek as Peter scooped her up in a hug.

Lucy laughed, and Peter turned to grin at her, "Come here, you!" he called.

Lucy wasted no time in running forward into his arms, her laughter ringing through the air as he lifted her and twirled her in the air. Then it was Edmund's turn, though their hug was far more manly, consisting mostly of hearty pacts on the back, and soon enough the formal greeting had turned into a celebration which spilled across the vast gardens of Cair Paravel. Almost every resident of the castle had found their way outside, and they mingled effortlessly with the returning party, friends and family finding each other and exchanging joyous greetings. The Beavers were there, as were Tumnus, Storm, Philip, Oreius, Peridan and many others whom we called our friends. It was loud, ecstatic, tumultuous chaos of the kind that could only be found in the free green lands of the north.

In the midst of all this merrymaking, I found Peter again. For a moment we just stood there, and I looked on his brilliant smile and shining blue eyes, finally perfectly content after everything that had happened over the past months. Soon enough, though, he had pulled me into a searing kiss, his hands clasping my face in a way that was both gentle and fierce. My hands traced up his arms and wound themselves into his hair and I lost myself in the feel of his touch until we finally had to break away, breathing hard.

"I missed you," I whispered against his lips.

He scoffed lightly, "_You_ missed me! Do you have any idea exactly how miserable the Northern Waste is? I was off in the constant rain battling giants with only the memory of you to keep me warm. Think how I must have felt."

"Yes and I was off dealing with Rabadash. Think how I must have felt."

"I heard about that mess. I'm gone for a few weeks and war breaks out with Calormen, with you in the middle of it as usual," he teased before turning more serious. "I was worried about you."

I kissed him lightly before pulling away slightly and studying him. His face was open, sincere, as it always was, but there was a strange look in his eyes as they looked into mine.

"You shouldn't have been," I said.

"Doesn't mean I wasn't," he clasped my hands tenderly in his, his thumbs running circles on the back of my hands. "Do you still have it?"

It wasn't hard to realize what he meant, "Of course I do."

I dropped the magic surrounding the ring and let my fiancée see it. Peter smiled and kissed it lightly. For a moment, I wasn't sure whether he was about to say something else or just grab me and kiss me again. I was unable to find out, however, as a familiarly belligerent voice interrupted us.

"You know, Rayna isn't the only one who missed you Pete. Save some love for the rest of us and come join the party."

"Maybe so, but I'd really rather be kissing her than you, Ed," Peter retorted, ignoring Edmund's look of annoyed disgust. "Tonight. We'll tell them tonight," he whispered to me before his brother dragged him off.

The impromptu celebrations lasted well into the night, showing no signs of stopping as the hours went on. Wine flowed in abundance. The cooks wasted no time in serving up all matter of cold delicacies, most of which had likely been prepared days in advance in anticipation of the returning army. Soon enough, though, great fires were lit and entire animals were roasted over them until they were crispy and dripping with juices.

As dark began to set in, musicians were brought out and began to play tunes so lively it was almost impossible not to dance. I switched partners frequently, flitting between this knight and that, being swung around by Peridan and Edmund and any others I happened to chance upon, but always returning to Peter's arms every few dances.

I had been in the midst of a rather energetic jig with Tumnus when Peter called for the crowd's attention. He stood at the top of the steps leading up to the palace doors, allowing everyone to see him easily. In his hand he held a wine goblet.

"People of Narnia!" he called his tone kingly, demanding attention. "In recent times, we have found ourselves in the midst of several conflicts against those who would challenge the freedom of Narnia and its allies. We met these without fear, we fought and we prevailed. For that I thank every one of those who followed us. We have had losses as well, and I would honor the fallen, those brave and loyal men who fell for the sake of Narnia. But now that these dark times are behind us, and we are returned to our beloved Cair Paravel, it is time to turn our thoughts away from battle and death, and instead to rejoice for what lies ahead. We celebrate our victory and the peace that comes with it, our reunion with friends that we have long missed and the friendships that have yet to come. But now I wish to give you one more reason to be merry. Tonight, I announce my betrothal to Lady Rayna, Enchantress of the court of Cair Paravel, who has been my treasured companion for many years."

All eyes turned to me, but I saw only Peter's azure gaze, which had locked onto me the second he spotted me amidst the crowd. I felt a hand on the small of my back urging me forward, and Tumnus's encouraging voice in my ear, though I barely heard the words. For once in my life, I found myself strangely nervous.

The crowd parted for me as I stepped forward, back ramrod straight, and made my way towards my husband to be. He held out his hand to me as I came delicately up the steps and drew me in to stand beside him. For once, I was thankful of Susan's insistence on presentation. Standing there in full formal dress, face emphasized by makeup and hair arranged artfully under the glittering circlet which indicated my position, I felt I could stand proudly next to High King Peter the Magnificent as someone worthy to someday become his bride.

"To Rayna!" he called, raising his cup to the crowd. "She is beautiful, smart, resourceful, loyal, but most of all she is the love of my life."

He brought the wine back to his lips and took a deep swig. As he lowered it, I reached out and took it gently from it, raising the cup as he had.

"To Peter! To our most beloved High King! During his reign, he has proven to be warrior, diplomat, leader and friend to all those who follow him. It is these achievements which make him beloved of all Narnians, none more so than I."

I took my own pull of wine, emptying the cup of it remaining liquids, then tossing it aside. Peter's hand came up to turn my face towards him, and his lips met mine. Below us, the crowd erupted in cheers.

After that, the party redoubled in fervor, the Narnians seeming to find the announcement a good reason to carry on even more wildly than before. By the time the frenzy died down and people started to drift off back to their beds the horizon was beginning to lighten. Some snuck off alone or in pairs, while groups passed by us to offer their god wishes before retreating back inside.

When there were only a few groups still wandering around the lawn we were joined by the rest of the royals. Lucy was yawning, though her eyes were twinkling with happiness. She passed by us with a small hug and a sincere "I'm happy for you. It'll be lovely having another sister around."

After that, she left, followed by Edmund who rolled his eyes and muttered, "About time" as he walked by.

Susan lingered a while longer, offering her congratulations only briefly before saying, "When's the wedding?" Peter groaned.

"Perhaps wedding plans should wait until we are slightly more awake?" I suggested.

"Perhaps," the Gentle Queen admitted. "But you aren't getting out of this. This _will_ be the wedding of the century and I _will _be consulted on every detail."

She gave her brother a warning look before making her exit.

"Come on," Peter urged gently, "we should get at least a few hours of sleep. I'll walk you back to your chambers."

There was no need for us to talk as we strolled through the castle. The night had been so loud and full of chatter that it seemed best to just bask in the early morning silence. We climbed up the stairs to my tower together, reaching my familiar cherry wood door

Peter brought a my hand up to his mouth, brushing it with his lips before whispering a soft "good night" and turning to leave. I grabbed his hand and held him back.

"Where do you think you're going? I only just got you back and I have no intentions of letting you go just yet." I pushed open my door and stepped inside, pulling him close. "Stay with me tonight."

We didn't leave the room until late afternoon.


	40. Epilogue

Author's note: As promised 7 reviews = 1 chapter.

Of course, my workload these days is ridiculous so it took me a while just to get this short bit out, but I hope you enjoy it.

The Golden Age is over, and the Pevensies are gone. I will most definitely miss them. Part 3 will be put up as soon as I can manage it. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy this. Please feel free to leave comments, criticism, questions, and suggestions for me. I always do my best to acknowledge them.

I would love to be able to get another 7 reviews before I publish part 3.

Responses to your reviews come after the chapter.

Epilogue – the Disappearance of the Kings and Queens of Narnia

_May 7__th__ 2015 – Cair Paravel_

I collapsed into the armchair with a tired sigh, glad to finally have a moment alone. Susan had largely taken over the wedding plans, putting her all into arranging the wedding of the century for Peter and me, and now, with just two more weeks until the big event, the preparations were carrying on at breakneck pace. Just today, I had spent 4 hours in front of a mirror for a dress fitting, with Susan hovering around, offering comments and a veritable army of seamstresses bustling around, pinning cutting and draping. The wedding itself was shaping up to be grandiose, but dealing with such a large event as well as the day to day necessities of running a country had most of the castle exhausted.

For once, though, there was nothing to do. The Pevensies had all left this afternoon, chasing after rumors of the White Stag around lantern waste. The animal itself was elusive and much sought after, for the stag would grant a wish to any who managed to catch it, and the hunt was too tempting for any of them to pass up. Likely they would be gone at least until tomorrow. I had opted out, choosing instead to seclude myself with my books, in particular a small tome dedicated to the art of scrying which had been suggested to me by my old friend the Hermit of the Southern March.

I buried myself in a small book dedicated to the art of scrying, which I had found in a corner of my library after seeing the elaborate scrying mirror sent to me by the Hermit of the Southern March as an engagement gift. Adamant not to leave the peace of my library, I had a small dinner brought up to me, and was able to continue my day of peace largely uninterrupted. Long hours passed and as the sky grew dark I began to light my book with a small sphere of light I summoned to hover above my head. Around midnight, I finally rose and descended the stairs to my bedroom, falling asleep soon after my head hit the pillow.

I dreamt that night. Perhaps it was because of my recent study of scrying, which was after all a magic dedicated to seeing things from afar, or perhaps because the dream had been Aslan-sent, the dream seemed strangely real, material, as if I could reach out and touch it.

In the dream, I saw the faces of the Kings and Queens of Narnia as they had been when we had first met, children untested by years of leadership.

I saw a wardrobe, intricately carved in the center of which was featured a tree I instantly recognized, golden fruit dangling from it and a bird perched on its branches. Somehow, strangely, the wood called to me, as if whatever magical energy remained from the magical fruit from which it was created called to the same magic in me, still present from the fruit which had granted me immortality so long ago.

I saw a man, white-haired and old, but with twinkling, childlike eyes. In those eyes I saw the something of the boy he once must have been, alive with wonder from an adventure long past. And though I had never seen his face, I knew who he must have been, for only those who have known Narnia could have that look, a look which they carried with them all throughout their life.

The whirlwind of images was cut off by an unmistakable roar, echoing in my ears and overwhelming everything around me. In front of me stood the door, open and sowing glimpses of the well-known forest beyond. It swung shut with a slam, and I sat up in bed with a gasp.

Something was wrong and I knew it. I felt the end of the Narnia that the Pevensies had built, and Aslan's words echoed in my head, still clear in my mind even after 15 years.

"_While the Pevensie children are in Narnia, you will age as they do, but once they die, or return to their own world, then you will be back to this, an immortal and ageless teenager. For you will be needed not only during the High King Peter's reign, but for hundreds of years after that."_

I swung out of bed and rushed to the mirror. Looking back at me from the glass was my 16-year-old face, young and unblemished despite my being over a century old. For years I had grown used to seeing myself age, had even marveled at the crinkles and imperfections which seemed so wonderfully normal, the cycle of life occurring as it should. But it was all an illusion, vanished as was, I knew, the happy life I had built for myself and the family I had come to call my own.

Not bothering to get dressed, I threw a thin robe on over my nightgown and headed out into the early morning bustle of the castle. The servants seemed had likely been awake for hours, scrubbing the many rooms of the castle, but now that most of the nobles had risen, they were darting in and out of rooms, carrying breakfast trays, clothes and cleaning the rooms of those who had already vacated them. The higher ranking occupants of the palace were largely still in their rooms, but a few were milling about, heading to various places to conduct buisness, train or meet their friends. Even with such a crowd, I was able to pass easily by, most knowing me by sight and ducking out of the way staring all the while, either at my disheveled appearance or my sudden rejuvenation.

I wasn't sure what I was looking for, not consciously at least, but as soon as I reached the hallway leading out into the courtyard, strangely deserted, I knew. From beyond a crowd of people I heard the familiar voice of Philip. He was back, and from over the heads of a huddle of dwarves standing nearby, I could see that the rest of the Pevensies' mounts were also present. But there was no sign of the Kings and Queens of Narnia.

"We waited hours," Philip was explaining, "and when night fell and they still didn't return, we searched the woods around Lantern Waste. There was no sign of them, ad so we returned to alert you."

Lantern Waste, the very same place they had appeared in 15 years ago. So they really had journeyed back to their own world. At least I knew they were no dead.

Tumnus, who was standing at Philip's head in clear view of the rest of the crowd, immediately took the situation in hand, "Right then, we must gather a search. If harm has befallen our Kings and Queens, it is our duty to do all we can for them. Now, who'll join me?"

There was a sudden clamor as almost every individual in the crowd rushed to volunteer.

For a minute, I just stood there, taking it all in. I felt no surprise. The signs had been obvious enough. I merely stood, letting myself feel the grief even just for a minute. Then I composed myself, brushing away a tear and stepped forward to address the crowd.

"Enough of this." My voice cut straight through the crowd, the gravity of it enough to still them even without having raised my voice. A hush fell across them as they turned to me, lasting only moments before whispers began to circulate from my clearly changed appearance.

"Rayna," Tumnus gasped, "what –"

"Strange, isn't it?" I noted, before raising my voce to address the crowd. "There will be no search party. Any effort to recover our Kings and Queens would be useless. As was fated, their time in Narnia is ended, and they have returned into their own world and with their departure, so comes a new, darker age for Narnia."

Author's note:

PJO-Blue-cookies: Glad to hear you are still following and enjoying this story. I appreciate it.

HeartFyre: They are really adorable, on that I will agree. I'll admit I had intended the last chapter to be more sweet than cotton-candy-cloud-of-fluff fluffy, but they just sort of ran away with me and I figured I might as well unleash the cutesiness before Peter vanished. I love that you're interested in my plotline. Please feel free to pick it apart and tell me what you think.

MCH: There goes the happy ever after, as the Pevensies are gone. This chapter is even more bittersweet, so I'm glad the last one was happy enough to compensate.

Somegirl: you're probably not reading this story anymore, but if you are I'm really glad you stuck with it. If not, then I'm sorry you didn't enjoy my story. I try to make Rayna a realistic, well-rounded character, but if you don't see it that way, I would love to hear pointers on how I could make her better.

Killthepain62: The drama is coming. Please keep reading, and I hope you enjoy what I do later in the story with Prince Caspian. I'd love to hear any suggestions, and in the meantime I will make Rayna's story as detailed as possible.

Caitydubbelyew: I am planning on doing some edits and will therefore be taking another glance at the links on my profile. So sorry that you couldn't get all the pictures, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. Please keep reading.


	41. Part 3: The Dark Ages

Author's note:  I cannot express how sorry I am that I have not updated in so long. Unfortunately, I hit a bit of a writer's block, and by the time I got over it school caught up with my. I moved to the UK mid-year and, since I changed school systems, I ended up having to do a year-long curriculum in only a few months. It's exam time now, so I'm under a huge amount of stress, and probably won't be updating regularly until the beginning of June.

Anyway, here is the first bit of part 3. I was intending to skip far further in time to the Telmarine attack as soon as I started this section, but it somehow felt wrong, and I wanted to get a bit more into Rayna's reaction to the Pevensies' departure, so I ended up writing a shorter prologue. I know it's not much after such a long hiatus, but it felt like the right length for this.

I'll update another (longer) chapter as soon as possible, as I've pretty much hammered out the specifics of what I intend to do in this part (which for me means I have a lot of scribbles, quite a few bits of scenes, and a short plan). If you want more info on my future plans, check out my profile. As always, feel free to leave any questions/suggestions/ideas.

Thanks to those that stuck with me. Responses to your reviews are at the end of the chapter.

Part 3: The Dark Ages

Prologue

_Two weeks later_

_May 21__st__, 2015 – Cair Paravel_

The search parties had had finally given up. Despite my conviction that the Pevensies were gone, the Narnians – loyal as they were – had kept up the search. They had been clinging to the hope that I was wrong, and in a way I had been as well, but that was over now. Two weeks of scouring Narnia had turned up nothing. All of Narnia was in mourning.

Somehow, losing that last shred of hope that they would come back was almost as bad as waking up that first morning knowing I would never see them again. I felt truly old for perhaps the first time of my life, despite my newly youthful appearance. I had watched the search parties trickling back into Cair Paravel over the last few days, each looking more defeated than the last, until I could not stand it anymore. I needed to get away, and so I had saddled Storm and flown.

I had intended to go to Cauldron Pool, to attempt to cheer myself with the lighthearted memories I had associated with the place. Upon reaching it, though, I had felt nothing. That place belonged to my childhood, and I was no longer a child. Storm had seemed to understand, though I saw how wistfully he had stared at the water, remembering a time long ago. We did not stay there long. Instead, we had flown for hours on end, with no particular destination in mind.

We ended up at Lantern Waste. I could not have said whose choice it was, or when either of us had realized it was there we were headed. Perhaps we had not until we had already landed. Perhaps not until I was staring up at the lamppost.

It was of their world. I remembered my mother telling me that. I did not know what sort of a world that would be, but if this was a commonplace object there, I was not sure it would be a good one. The metal was dark and cold, black as night. It was lit, but the flame was small and flickering, and its warmth was cut off by glass panels. Then again, perhaps their world had changed. After all, the lamppost had been there since the creation of Narnia itself.

I left the clearing and walked deeper into the wood, looking for something I doubted I would find. When I saw the dense firs in front of me, I stopped, leaning against a tree. It was the same tree, I realized, by which I had stood all those long years ago, when they first entered as children. I remembered it all exactly: the snow, the laughter, the banter and the inevitable wonder at finding a world at the back of a wardrobe. They had seemed so happy. It had been the beginning of the best years of my life.

I walked into the grouping of trees from which they had stumbled, but there was nothing there now. The portal was closed, or perhaps inaccessible to me. It did not matter which.

Impulsively, I closed my eyes, remembering the dream I had had on the day they left. I had seen a glimpse of that world, I was almost sure. I had been in the midst of learning to scry, after all. Perhaps I could see it again, and know at least that they were well. My call to the elements was almost unconscious, but I felt them flow around me and the rush of energy that accompanied them. I focused, cleared my mind and uttered the simple incantation.

And I saw.

_I was in the same room I had seen in my dream, the one in which the wardrobe stood. This time, though, the wardrobe was to my back, as if I had just stepped through it into this world. In front of me, standing side by side and looking at the carved doors were the Pevensie children, for they were children once more._

"_I can't get through," Lucy was whimpering. "I've tried but it's just a wardrobe now."_

"_It can't just be over!" Edmund groaned._

"_It's barely been a day, I still can't believe it's gone," Susan sighed._

_They seemed dismayed at the very idea. The loss was fresh to them, much fresher than to me. A day! It had only been a day for them and they seemed lost already._

"_We've got the professor, at least," Lucy smiled. "I do love all those wonderful stories he tells us. They're so Narnian! I don't know how we never heard them there."_

"_It's not like Rayna didn't try to make us learn history. It just seemed boring when we were there living it," Edmund interrupted in his typical fashion._

"_It feels almost like fate that we met him here, doesn't it?" his sister continued, unperturbed._

_Susan rolled her eyes slightly, "It wasn't fate. It's his wardrobe, it's hardly surprising he knew something about the place."_

"_Then it's fate we found him in the first place," Lucy insisted._

"_Do you think we'll end up like him one day?" Edmund wondered, "Just a doddery old man telling stories of the adventures he had when he was a boy, never able to live them again?"_

"_But we'll be back! I know we will!" Lucy insisted._

"_We have to be," Peter said suddenly. He had been silent this entire time, eyes downcast and brooding, seemingly lost in his thoughts. The others turned to him startled at his conviction. By way of explanation, he only said, "I'm supposed to get married in two weeks."_

_He strode off. The vision faded._

Somehow, seeing them had felt worse. So lovely, but like rubbing salt in my already raw wounds. They were just starting to live what I had for the last two weeks. And our wedding! I had tried to suppress the thought, but today was supposed to be my wedding day. Peter had already missed it, and he didn't even know. I had been so close to having a happily ever after, and it had been ripped away, from me as well as from him. The engagement ring was still on my finger, aquamarine stone glittering, but I doubted I would ever have a wedding band to accompany it now.

Suddenly irritated with myself, I turned away and strode back to Storm. They were gone now, and I had more important things to do than dwell on it. The kingdom was in uproar over the Pevensies' disappearance, and would soon crumble if no king was found. And yet there was none who could take the crown. None of the four had provided any heirs, and they had come alone and with no family. We could not look to previous lines of succession, as my mother had wiped them all out, and no other could stake a definite claim.

Since their disappearance, the council had taken over Narnia's immediate affairs, but such a system could not function for long. Its members were, after all, only a grouping of advisors, military leaders, nobility, and others who held important functions in Cair Paravel. They had been brought together to support the Kings and Queens, and were used to advising, or even deciding on trivial matters, but not to running a country. They could not take up the governing of Narnia, and yet they were the only authority left. We had all looked to Aslan in recent days, but the great lion was nowhere to be found. It therefore stood to us to decide on what was to be done. And, whatever that decision was, it must be made soon.

Narnia, it seemed, was about to enter darker days.

Reviews: 

Thanks to all of those who reviewed: Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, CarlieKy, ally, Doodle 187, loholid123, BlazingXDarkness, springpony, Erudessa-gabrielle and guests

**MCH:** As always thanks for reviewing. I hope you like the newer, darker version of Narnia I hope to show.

**Color Me Geeky: **I am busy at the moment so I wouldn't expect a Vampire Diaries fic anytime soon. I do hope you like the show, though. It's one of my favorites. I do plan on fleshing out a lot of Rayna's character over the rest of this part. I had initially planned to skip it when I began writing this fic, but the story is about Rayna and, as the character grew on me, I realized it would not be a good idea to skip over a 3000 year period which would probably be a very definitive part of Rayna's journey, and would definitely test her as a character. Your prediction of Caspian is pretty much correct, at least as I have it planned now, though I plan for their relationship to be a bit more complicated than you might expect. Thanks for reviewing. I hope to hear from you again.

**PJO-Blue-cookies: **I am definitely going to write about the Telmarine invasion, as well as her time with the Narnians afterwards when they are all in hiding. I have quite a few ideas for the Prince Caspian story arc. Caspian and Rayna will have an interesting relationship, and so I can say that she will most likely there when Caspian is questioned by the Narnians. Please keep reading. I really love that you enjoy the story.

**Supergirrl101: **It is so sad about the wedding. Still, I think it will make their reunion even more interesting. Thanks for your support.

**Darkhuntress621: **Rayna's life is going to be much harder from now on, simply because of the fact that she no longer has the Pevensies or even her mother to lean on. For the first time in her life, she pretty much has to do things by herself. She has lost a lot, but Storm will still be with her. I have a lot of things to cover before Prince Caspian. I hope you like reading it.

**Max:** I really appreciate that you like my story. I really appreciate knowing people like what I'm doing. I hope that you keep reading.


End file.
